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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 

MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


Frontispiece. 


THE  BIRTHDAY  PRESENT. 


Page  190. 


TUEN,  SLAVE  and  EMPRESS 


BY 


KATHLEEN    GRAY    NELSON 


Illustrations  by  William  M.  Gary 


TUEN  AT  WORK  ON  THE  TUNIC.— ^'^^i?  65 

NEW  YORK 

COPYRIGHT    BY 

E.  P.  BUTTON  &  CO^IPANY 

31  West  Twenty-third  Street 
1898 


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356 


PREFACE. 

THIS  stor}'  is  founded  upon  facts  in 
the  life  of  the  Empress-dowager 
of  China,  the  mother  of  the  present 
Emperor. 

She  was  sold  as  a  slave  by  her  father       ? 
to   a  renowned  government  official,  who 
after   a    few    years  adopted    her   as    his 
daughter,  and  afterwards  presented   her 
to  the  Emperor. 

The  Emperor  was  altogether  charmed 
with  the  gift.  In  a  few  years  the  slave  ? 
girl  became  the  wife  of  the  Emperor,  ' 
second  in  rank  only  to  the  Empress. 
From  this  time  she  was  a  power  at  the 
Imperial  Court.  Her  administrative  abil- 
ity in  governmental  affairs  became  invalu- 
-i^"'e  to  the  Emperor. 


ivi312245 


iv  Preface. 

After  the  death  of  the  Empress,  and  the 
death  of  the  Emperor  and  eldest  son,  she 
became  Empress-dowager  of  China,  and 
reigned  as  regent  during  the  minority 
of  her  son,  who  is  the  present  Emperor  of 
China,  now  about  twenty-four  years  of 
age. 

Bishop  Galloway  tells  us  this  wonderful 
woman's  sixtieth  birthday,  celebrated  last 
year,  "was  to  have  been  the  greatest 
event  in  Chinese  history  for  a  century  or 
more."  The  war,  however,  prevented  this 
display.  He  says,  too  :  "  It  is  significant 
that  in  this  country,  in  which  women  are 
at  a  discount,  are  secluded  and  kept  in 
ignorance,  are  protested  against  at  birth, 
and  regarded  as  a  calamity  in  youth,  the 
ruling  spirit  in  all  national  affairs  is  a 
woman." 


V.  v.i 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


NIU    TSANG    AND    FAMILY 

THE    VICEROY    AND    NIU    TSANG 

TUEN    AND    WANG    

TUEN  AT  WORK  ON  THE  TUNIC    {oH  title-page) 
''l    WOULD    LIKE    TO    LEARN    TO    READ  " 
THE    SAIL    UP    THE    RIVER 
THE    BIRTHDAY    PRESENT    [fronttSpiece)  . 


2 
24 

43 


^S 


78 

159 

190 


TuEN,  Slave  and  Empress. 


CHAPTER   I. 

THE  sun  had  set  in  the  land  where  the 
dragon  reigns,  and  darkness  and 
silence  and  rest  and  sleep,  the  ministers 
of  the  night,  waited  to  come  to  their  own. 
But  their  presence  was  not  needed  in  the 
eastern  portion  of  the  province  of  Hunan, 
for  a  wonderful  stillness  hung  over  all  the 
barren  landscape,  and  there  was  no  sign 
of  life.  On  the  banks  of  the  streams  the 
patient  buffalo  no  longer  went  his  cease- 
less rounds,  working  the  pumps  that  sent 
water  over  the  thirsty  earth  ;  the  shrill 
cries  of  the  boatmen  that  were  wont  to 
echo  on  the  river  were  hushed  ;  not  even 


2  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

a  bird  crossed  the  quiet  sky  ;  and  where 
the  waving  rice-fields  had  once  stretched 
out  proud  and  green  under  the  summer 
sun,  was  now  but  a  lonely  waste  that  gave 
no  hope  of  harvest,  for  man  and  beast 
had  either  perished  or  fled.  The  great 
Tai-ping  rebellion  had  stirred  this  peace- 
ful country  to  its  very  centre,  and  war 
and  war's  grim  follower,  famine,  had 
swept  through  this  once  fertile  province, 
and  naught  was  left  to  tell  of  what  had 
been,  save  a  few  scattered  ruins. 

Suddenly,  against  the  purplish  shadows 
of  the  distant  mountains,  a  little  group 
could  be  seen  moving  slowly  along,  the 
only  living  things  in  all' this  vast  solitude. 
On  they  came  over  the  parched  levels, 
but  the  man  who  was  leading  the  way 
walked  with  bowed  head,  as  one  that  saw 
not,  but  only  went  forward  because  he 
must.  He  was  small  in  stature,  and  thin 
and  lithe,  while  his  complexion  showed 
through  its  dark,  the  pallor  of  the  student. 


MU   T5ASG   AND   FAMILY. 


Page  2. 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  3 

His  face  was  of  the  Oriental  type  peculiar 
to  the  Chinese  Empire,  and  his  carefully 
braided  cue  also  indicated  his  nationality. 
He  had  dark,  sloping  eyes  that  you  might 
have  thought  sleepy  if  you  had  not  seen 
them  light  up  as  he  talked,  his  forehead 
was  low  and  broad,  his  mouth  large,  and 
most  amiable  in  its  expression,  and  when 
the  long  sleeves  of  his  tunic  fell  back, 
they  disclosed  soft,  delicate  hands,  un- 
used to  toil.  His  costume  consisted  of 
an  outer  tunic  of  worn  and  faded  silk, 
girded  at  the  waist  v/ith  a  sash,  from 
which  hung  a  bag  containing  flint  and 
steel  for  lighting  his  pipe,  a  soiled  pouch 
that  had  once  held  tobacco,  but  was  now 
empty,  another  bag  for  his  pipe,  and  a  satin 
case  shaped  like  the  sheath  for  a  short 
sword,  from  which  protruded  nothing  more 
formidable,  however,  than  the  handle  of 
a  fan.  His  loose  pantaloons,  dust-stained 
and  frayed,  were  met  below  the  knees  by 
cloth  stockings,  once  white,  but  now  dyed 


4  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

with  mud,  and  his  shoes  of  embroidered 
felt,  the  toes  of  which  curled  up  in  a  curi- 
ous fashion,  showed  many  gaping  holes. 
Upon  his  head  he  wore  a  cone-shaped  hat 
of  bamboo,  the  peak  at  the  top  adorned 
with  a  blue  button  from  which  fell  a  blue 
silk  fringe,  and  his  tunic  being  cut  low  at 
the  neck  and  buttoned  diagonally  across 
his  breast,  left  exposed  his  slender  bronzed 
neck. 

He  was  followed  by  a  woman  whose 
dress  was  similar  to  his  own,  and  also 
much  the  worse  for  wear,  who  led  by  the 
hand  a  little  boy  about  four  years  old, 
while  on  her  other  side  was  a  daughter, 
now  almost  as  tall  as  her  mother. 

But  as  the  father  walked  slowly,  even 
majestically,  at  the  head  of  his  little  fam- 
ily, bearing  on  a  pole  thrown  across  his 
shoulders,  all  his  worldly  goods,  there 
was  an  independence  in  his  carriage,  a 
pride  in  his  mien,  that  told  of  better  days 
not  yet  forgotten,  and  made  the  evident 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  5 

poverty  of  his  appearance  seem  of  but 
little  moment. 

A    learned    man    once    advanced    the 
theory  that  in  the  olden  days  the  children 
of  Abraham  and  Keturah,  driven  forth  by 
unkind  kinsmen,  wandered  on  until  they 
reached  the  Flowery  Kingdom,  and  there 
the  family  of  the  old  patriarch  multiplied 
as  the  stars  of  heaven,  as  the  sand  upon 
the  sea-shore,  and  became  a  mighty  na- 
tion.      But  the  centuries  came  and  went 
in   silence,   and  man  kept   no   record  of 
their  flight  ;  and  of  the  early  settlers  of 
this,  one  of  the  first  countries  inhabited 
by  human  beings,  history  can  tell  us  noth- 
ing.     The  sons  of  Han  have  lived  their 
lives    calmly,     borrowing    nothing    from 
other  nations,  asking  nothing  of  the  out- 
side world,  caring  naught  for  what  lay  be- 
yond their  vast  borders,  and  change  has 
been  an  unknown  word   in  their  shut-in 
kingdom.      Progress,  the  daring  child  of 
modern  times,    has    not   found   entrance 


6  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

there,  and  the  Niu  Tsang  of  to-day,  lead- 
ing his  family  through  the  forsaken  coun- 
try, was  but  a  repetition  of  his  long  dead 
forefathers.  That  was  the  reason  why, 
even  now,  as  he  toiled  wearily  along,  his 
mind  left  the  scenes  of  the  present,  so  full 
of  sorrow  and  suffering,  and  dwelt  in 
placid  contemplation  on  the  events  of  the 
past.  He  was  musing  on  the  wisdom  of 
the  sages,  on  the  maxims  of  Confucius, 
when,  chancing  to  raise  his  head,  he  saw 
in  the  distance  the  dim  outlines  of  a 
building. 

'*  It  is  the  temple  of  Buddha,"  he  cried, 
joyfully,  turning  to  his  wife.  "  There  we 
shall  find  food  and  shelter  for  the  nio^ht." 

She  made  a  gesture  of  assent,  but  her 
pale  lips  framed  no  word,  and  they  pressed 
hurriedly  forward.  When  they  came 
nearer  the  temple,  he  noticed  the  traces 
of  many  footsteps,  as  if  a  great  throng 
had  entered  there,  but  the  same  mysteri- 
ous silence  reigned  everywhere.      There 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  7 

was  no  murmur  of  voices  raised  In  chants 
of  praise,   no  priests  waiting  at  the  en- 
trance,  no  din  of  gongs  and  drums,  not 
even  a  sound  from  the  consecrated  ani- 
mals that  had  once  waited  within  the  en- 
closure in  pampered  stupidity  for  release 
from    their   beastly    forms.      Bewildered, 
oppressed  by  a  nameless  fear,  NIu  Tsang 
ran  past  the  open  portal,   and  there  he 
stopped,    dismayed   at   the   scene  before 
him,  for  the  rebels,  drunk  with   success, 
had  in  their  wild  zeal  turned  against  the 
dumb    gods    of    the    land,    and    wrought 
havoc  in  the  temple.     Gilded  and  painted 
fragments  of  helpless   idols  strewed  the 
floor,    the   great   stone   altar,    carved    in 
writhing  dragons,  had  been  broken  Into 
many  pieces,  and  incense  vases  of  price- 
less porcelain,  candlesticks  of  richest  cloi- 
sonne, tables  of  carved  ebony,  stands  of 
polished  jade,  and  rosaries  torn  from  the 
hands   of    frightened   priests,    had    been 
ruthlessly  destroyed,  and  now  lay  in  great 


8  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

heaps  of  rubbish.  The  guardians  of  the 
temple  had  fled  before  the  wrath  of  the 
rebel  reformers,  and  the  dead  gods  were 
left  alone  in  their  temple.  Niu  Tsang 
made  his  way  sadly  through  these  ruins 
of  the  once  beautiful  structure,  and  came 
at  last  into  the  dismantled  court  where 
his  wife  and  children  were  already  await- 
ing him.  She  had  taken  the  boy  in  her 
lap  and  was  tenderly  stroking  his  little 
wan  face,  while  the  girl,  her  eyes  filled 
with  unshed  tears,  squatted  beside  her. 
A  head  of  Buddha  that  had  been  broken 
off  and  rudely  tossed  into  the  court,  lay 
near  by,  watching  them  with  the  same 
queer  smile  it  had  once  bestowed  upon  its 
worshippers.  The  father  made  a  gesture 
of  despair. 

"All  is  ruin — all  is  lost — and  desola- 
tion is  spread  over  the  land,"  he  said 
despairingly.      ''  Nothing  is  left  here." 

The  boy  in  his  mother's  lap  moved 
restlessly  about  and  uttered  a  low  moan. 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  9 

-Is  there  no   rice,   father?"   he  cried 

plaintively. 

''  None,  my  son,"  Niu  answered  with  a 
sigh.  "  I  have  searched  the  temple,  only 
to  find  it  bare.     You  must  wait." 

His  wife's  mouth  trembled  pitifully  as 
she  listened,  and  noticing  this  he  said  to 

her  : 

''We  must  endure  as  best  we  can. 
Night  now  overshadows  us,  and  there  is 
no  human  habitation  in  sight.  We  must 
rest  here  until  the  dawn  and  then  hurry 
on,  hoping  ere  the  day  is  done  to  find 
food  for  all.  If  our  strength  fail  we  can 
but  die,"  he  added  in  a  lower  tone,  as  if 
speaking  to  himself,  but  the  woman  heard 
it  and  looked  up. 

''  I  am  very  tired  now,"  she  murmured, 

-and  the  pangs  of  hunger  torment  me. 

All  that  I  had  to  eat   to-day  I   gave  to 

the  children." 

-  I  know,"  Niu  said.     ''  I  too  am  hungry, 

but  there  is  no  help  for  it."     So  saying 


lO  1  uen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

he  sat  down  ;  but  the  girl,  despite  her 
weariness,  built  a  pedestal  out  of  the 
fragments  around  her,  upon  which  she 
gently  placed  the  head  of  her  dishonored 
Buddha,  for  she  was  a  most  devout  little 
heathen,  and  then  she  crept  quietly  back 
into  the  temple. 


CHAPTER   II. 

AS  Niu  Tsang  sat  with  his  head  bowed 
upon    his   breast,    lost    in    painful 
thouo-hts,  and  the  woman  closed  her  eyes 
and  leaned  against  the  temple  wall  that 
she  might  better  rest,  a  shadow  darkened 
the  entrance,  and  caused  them  to  spring 
hastily  to   their  feet.     In   place  of  fierce 
soldiers,  however,  intent  upon  pillage  or 
even  murder,  Niu  to  his  surprise  saw  a 
solitary  stranger,  without  weapon  of  any 
kind,  eyeing  them  curiously.     The  new- 
comer even  smiled  at  their  evident  dismay, 
and  coming   forward  saluted  them  after 
the  fashion  of  the  country,  bowing  and 
■  gravely  shaking  his  own  hands. 

"Be  not  alarmed,  my  friend,"  he  said 
reassuringly  to  Niu.  ''  I  am  like  your- 
self, a  belated  traveller,  and  even  now  my 


12  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

boat  waits  for  me  at  the  river  bank.  But 
as  I  had  never  passed  this  way  before, 
though  often  had  I  heard  of  the  splendid 
temple  of  many  gods,  I  seized  this  oppor- 
tunity to  visit  it." 

As  he  spoke  he  looked  around  him, 
while  a  peculiar,  half-quizzical  expression 
lurked  at  the  corners  of  his  mouth. 

*'  Behold  it,"  Niu  Tsang  answered, 
making  an  expressive  gesture.  Then  he 
went  on  passionately,  his  anger  increas- 
ing at  every  word  : 

"  The  barbarians  from  beyond  the  sea 
could  not  have  been  more  wicked  than 
these  rebels  who  have  dared  the  ven- 
geance of  the  gods.  Traitors  that  they 
are  !  May  none  be  left  to  bury  them,  no, 
not  one  to  offer  incense  to  their  spirits. 
May  they  perish  miserably,  their  graves 
forever  unknown,  their  ghosts  forever 
homeless." 

"The  ruin  is  indeed  great,"  the  stranger 
said  calmly.     "Were  the   gods    deaf   to 


Tuen.  Slave  and  Empress.  13 

their  prayers,  that  they  should  thus  destroy 
them  ? " 

''I  know  not,"  Niu  said  shortly,  seat- 
ing himself. 

Seeing  that  his  companion  did  not 
intend  to  speak  further,  but  was  eyeing 
him  suspiciously,  the  newcomer  con- 
tinued : 

''You  seem  travel-stained  and  weary, 
honored  sir,  as  one  who  had  journeyed 
from  afar.  May  I  ask  whither  you  are 
bound,  that  you  traverse  this  bleak  plain  ?  " 
''To  Lu  Chang,  foreign  brother,"  was 
the  courteous  though  terse  reply. 

At  the  title  "foreign  brother"  the 
stranger  started  perceptibly,  but  he  looked 
fearlessly  at  Niu  from  behind  the  great 
blue  goggles  that  concealed  his  eyes,  and 
went  on  in  the  same  even  tone  : 

"You  have  a  long  and  tiresome  pil- 
grimage, and  the  way  is  dangerous,  for 
robbers  and  stray  soldiers  lurk  around 
after  the  army  has  passed.      It  will  there- 


14  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

fore  behoove  you  to  be  careful,  lest  you 
and  yours  fall  by  the  wayside,"  and  he 
glanced  toward  the  woman,  who  stood 
apart,  her  back  turned  to  themx. 

"  When  Ten  Wang*  has  decreed  a  man 
to  die  at  the  third  watch,  no  power  will 
detain  him  until  the  fifth,"  Niu  quoted, 
sagely. 

*'  You  have  spoken  wisely,  my  brother," 
the  stranger  answered,  "  yet  it  were  bet- 
ter not  to  tempt  destiny.  And  now,  the 
night  comes  on,  and  I  must  hasten  lest  I 
run  into  the  very  dangers  of  which  I  warn 
you." 

Then,  as  if  attracted  by  a  certain 
pinched  look  on  the  face  of  the  child 
that  slept  on  the  ground  near  where  he 
stood,  he  said,  quickly  : 

"  I  have  provisions,  and  to  spare,  in 
this  hamper,"  pointing  to  a  large  basket 
that  he  had  set  down  when  he  first  saw 
Niu,  "  and  in  the  morning  I  will  reach  my 

*  The  god  of  fate. 


Tu€n,  Slave  and  Empress.  15 

destination.  Will  you  not  accept  it,  and 
thereby  lighten  a  traveller's  load  ?  " 

At  his  words  the  woman  turned  toward 
him  with  an  exclamation  of  delight,  and 
her  husband's  face  lost  the  look  it  had 
v/orn  during  the  interview,  as  he  now  at- 
tempted to  speak.  The  stranger  did  not 
wait  for  the  grateful  thanks  that  rushed 
to  their  lips,  but  went  hastily  into  the 
temple,  and  there  he  found  a  girl  with 
patient,  solemn  eyes,  seated  among  the 
ruins  of  her  gods.  As  he  entered,  he  saw 
that  with  her  ragged  dress  she  was  wiping 
the  dirt  from  the  scarred  and  grimacing 
goddess  of  mercy,  and  he  stopped  to 
watch  her.  Frightened  at  his  appearance, 
she  arose  and  stood  waiting  for  him  to 
pass,  but  he  said  sadly  : 

"Your  gods,  my  child,  are  but  wood 
and  stone,  and  cannot  hear  your  prayers. 
The  one  true  God  lives  in  Heaven,  watch- 
ing over  you,  and  loving  you,  and  there  is 
no  other  God  but  Him." 


i6  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

Awed  by  his  strange  words,  yet  under- 
standing them  not,  she  gazed  at  him  in 
silence,  and,  moved  by  a  sudden  impulse, 
he  laid  his  hand  tenderly  on  her  head. 

''  May  the  God  of  love  and  peace  bring 
you  at  last  to  His  kingdom,"  he  murmured, 
and  was  gone. 

Perhaps,  had  he  known  that  this  quiet 
girl  was  destined  to  be  one  of  the  great 
women  of  the  world,  at  whose  slightest 
word,  millions,  even  hundreds  of  millions, 
of  loyal  subjects  would  bow  the  knee,  he 
would  have  spoken  longer  with  her,  but 
this  he  never  knew. 

It  was  not  until  they  had  eaten  with  all 
the  zest  that  hunger  gives  of  the  provi- 
sions left  them  by  the  stranger,  that  the 
girl  raised  her  eyes  to  the  calm  blue  heav- 
ens above  her,  now  dotted  with  countless 
glowing  stars,  and  said,  abruptly  : 

"  Father,  the  stranger  told  me.  In  the 
temple,  about  one  true  God,  who  is  alive, 
and  who  lives  up  there.      What  did  he 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  17 

mean?  I  never  heard  before  of  Him, and 
I  have  worshipped  many  gods." 

Niu  Tsang  nodded  quickly  at  this  con- 
firmation of  his  suspicions. 

"It  is  as  I  thought,"  he  said.  "  Al- 
thoucrh  that  traveller  wore  the  honorable 

o 

costume  of  our  country,  and  spoke  to  us 
in  our  own  tongue,  yet  methinks  he  was 
not  one  of  us,  but  a  barbarian  from  be- 
yond the  sea." 

The  girl  shuddered. 

"  And  he  talked  to  me  !  "  she  cried  in 
horror.  *'  I  never  dreamed  that  he  was  a 
foreign  devil." 

"  Be  he  what  he  may,  he  was  most  kind 
to  us,"  her  father  reminded  her,  "  for  his 
food  was  not  polluted." 

"But  what  god  is  this  that  he  worships  ? " 
she  asked. 

"  He  spoke  of  the  Jesus  doctrine,  of 
which,  perhaps,  he  is  a  teacher,"  her  father 
answered  in  the  tone  of  one  who  had  fin- 
ished the  conversation. 


1 8  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

"  But  who  is  Jesus  ?  "  the  curious  child 
persisted. 

''  He  is  the  god  of  barbarians  and  dev- 
ils, Tuen,"  her  father  said  sternly.  "  He 
is  not  so  wise  as  Confucius,  nor  so  great 
as  Buddha,  else  you  would  have  heard  of 
him  long  ago." 

"  And  yet  he  called  him  a  God  of 
Love,"  she  went  on  musingly,  not  heeding 
her  father's  frown.  **  Is  there  a  God  of 
Love  ?  " 

"  No,"  Niu  Tsang  said  shortly.  ''  All 
the  gods  hate  the  children  of  men,  but 
because  we  offer  prayers  and  incense  they 
sometimes  listen  to  us." 

Tuen  said  nothing  more,  but  that  night 
from  her  bed  in  the  open  court  she  looked 
up  at  the  silver  river  *  winding  among 
the  golden  stars,  and  wondered  what  god 
it  was  who  lived  so  far  away  you  could 
only  dimly  see  his  lamps  shining  through 
the  blue,  and  she  felt  she  would  like  to 

*  Chinese  name  for  Milky  Way. 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  19 

know  if  all  the  o-ods  reallv  hated  her,  and 
if  so,  what  she  had  done  to  make  them 
angry.  Thus  musing  she  fell  asleep,  and 
in  the  many  strange  events  that  soon 
crowded  into  her  little  life  and  filled  it  to 
overflowino;,  she  foro^ot  all  about  the 
stranger  and  his  God. 


CHAPTER   III. 

"  Diseases  may  be  cured,  but  not  destiny." 

Chinese  Proverb. 

MANY  conflicting  emotions  have  torn 
the  heart  of  poor  little  Tuen  since 
she  sat  amono^  the  fallen  idols  in  the 
lonely  temple,  and  she  has  learned  that 
life  may  be  a  hateful  thing,  even  to  the 
young.  After  long  weeks  of  privation 
and  hopelessness,  after  the  bitter  disap- 
pointment of  finding  that  even  in  the 
great  city  of  Lu  Chang  food  and  clothing 
were  not  for  those  who  could  not  buy, 
she  realized  suddenly  with  that  exaltation 
of  martyrdom  that  comes  to  strong  women 
in  all  climes  and  in  all  ages,  that  she  must 
be  the  sacrifice  offered  for  the  happiness 
of  her  dear  ones. 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  21 

So  one  day  she  went  to  the  despairing 
Niu  Tsang  and  said  quietly  : 

"  Father,  do  not  longer  grieve.    I  have 
found  a  way  out  of  all  our  trouble." 

He  looked  at  her  in  amazement,   and 
she  went  on  quickly  : 

"  I  am  young  and  strong,  but,  alas  !  a 
useless  burden  to  you.  I  have  thought 
about  it  for  long,  and  yesterday  when  I 
heard  it  said  on  the  street  that  many 
strings  of  cash  are  paid  for  girls  like  me, 
I  knew  I  could  be  the  one  to  save  you. 
If  you  can  only  sell  me  to  some  great 
mandarin,  the  price  will  be  enough  to  en- 
able you  to  go  back  to  the  home  of  our 
ancestors,    there   to    pass   your   days    in 

peace." 

"  Never  !  "  her  father  cried  vehemently. 
'♦You  do  not  know  what  you  are  talking 
about.  Sell  you  to  be  a  slave,  you  in 
whose  veins  flows  the  blood  of  the  uncon- 
querable Tartars,  whose  people  have  been 
mandarins  and  rulers,— sell  you  to  some 


2  2  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

despot  master  ?  By  the  memory  of  Con- 
fucius, never ! " 

*'  Do  not  answer  me  to-day,  father,"  she 
said  slowly,  knowing  that  the  pangs  of 
hunger  which  would  come  with  the  mor- 
row were  stronger  than  love  or  pride  or 
any  other  human  feeling.  "  Only  think 
it  over,  and  remember  that  I  must  work 
anyway,  and  a  woman's  lot  is  ever  hard. 
'T  is  so  ordained  by  the  gods.  Consider 
well  before  you  refuse  to  procure  comfort 
for  all  by  such  simple  means." 

Niu  Tsang  shook  his  head  with  stern 
determination,  for  although  it  is  not  a 
Chinese  custom  to  care  for  the  girls  of  the 
household,  in  the  long  days  he  and  Tuen 
had  journeyed  together  he  had  become 
deeply  attached  to  his  wise  little  daughter, 
and  he  was  most  unwilling  to  part  with 
her.  But  he  weighed  well  her  words,  and 
goaded  on  by  cruel  shameless  hunger, 
that  remembers  neither  blood  nor  con- 
science, he  at  last  consented  to  her  plan. 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  23 

"  The  iron  hand  of  poverty  crushes  the 
spirit  of  the  proudest,"  he  murmured  sadly. 

It  so  happened  that  on  the  third  morn- 
ing after  Tuen  had  talked  with  him,  the 
Viceroy  of  the  province,  seated  in  a  sedan 
borne  by  eight  attendants,  for  the  num- 
ber of  these  chair-bearers  is  a  sign  of 
official  rank,  came  to  the  Ching-hwang- 
miau  (City  Guardian's  Temple)  to  wor- 
ship. Now  in  front  of  this  temple  was 
always  a  numerous  gathering,  composed 
of  venders  of  different  wares,  idlers,  and 
beggars,  and  among  this  throng  stood 
Niu  Tsang  and  his  family.  Too  proud 
to  descend  to  the  level  of  a  common  beg- 
gar, and  unable  to  find  work,  he  now 
waited  for  a  fitting  opportunity  to  dispose 
of  Tuen,  since  that  seemed  the  only  means 
left  by  which  he  could  repair  his  fallen 
fortunes.  As  the  Viceroy,  alighting  from 
his  chair,  entered  the  portal,  Tuen  crept 
closer  to  her  father  and  whispered  :  ''  Offer 
me  to  him  when  he  comes  out.      He  is  a 


24  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

great  man,  with  much  money,  and  doubt- 
less has  many  slaves." 

x\  glow  of  hope  kindled  in  the  eyes  of 
Niu,  although  he  sighed  heavily,  and  leav- 
ing the  mother  and  her  baby  at  a  little 
distance  he  took  Tuen  and  went  up  op- 
posite the  entrance.  It  seemed  hours  to 
the  waiting  girl,  so  intense  was  her  anx- 
iety, before  the  Viceroy  appeared,  though 
in  reality  his  devotions  were  very  short. 
When  he  saw  that  she  and  her  father 
barred  the  way  to  his  sedan  he  made  an 
imperious  gesture  for  them  to  stand  aside, 
but  Niu  Tsang  saluted  him  humbly,  but 
did  not  move.  There  was  even  a  quiet 
dignity  about  him  that  did  not  escape  the 
Viceroy,  as  he  said  in  a  trembling  voice  : 

"  I  crave  your  forgiveness,  oh  illustrious 
sir,  but  I  have  a  most  beautiful  possession 
— all  unworthy  that  I  am — and  as  poverty 
presses  hard  upon  me  I  now  offer  It  to 
you. 

"  And  what  is  it  ?  "  the  \'iceroy  ques- 


TrHt    Vi:,tr',or     -^  N  D    NlU    TSANQ. 


Page  24. 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  25 

tioned  impatiently,  yet  attracted  by  some- 
thinor  in   the  manner  of  the   man  before 

o 

him. 

**  Behold  it,"  Xiu  answered,  taking  Tuen 
by  the  hand  and  drawing  her  from  behind 
him,  where  she  had  hitherto  stood  un- 
noticed. 

Her  appearance  it  must  be  confessed 
was  not  attractive,  for  her  loose  outer 
robe  was  soiled  and  frayed,  and  the  petti- 
coat hanging  below  it  was  in  tatters.  Her 
face,  which  under  other  circumstances 
would  doubtless  have  been  round  and 
plump,  was  now  pinched  and  v\-orn,  and 
her  lips  were  almost  bloodless.  A  mass 
of  uncombed  hair  huno-  to  her  waist,  a 
faint  pink  flush,  born  of  excitement,  burned 
through  the  olive  of  her  cheeks,  and  her 
little  mouth  quivered  piteously  as  she 
waited  with  downcast  eyes  the  verdict  of 
this  august  personage. 

*'  Beautiful,  did  you  say  ?  "  the  Mceroy 
questioned,  with  a  sarcastic  inflection  in 


26  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

his  voice  that  stung  the  sensitive  Tuen  to 
the  quick,  and  caused  her  to  raise  her 
soft,  solemn  eyes  to  him  with  a  pleading, 
half-reproachful  look,  while  the  flush  on 
her  cheeks  deepened  to  crimson. 

*' Umh — she  is  not  uorlv,"  he  said  with 
sudden  condescension.  "  And  now  tell 
me  of  her  age,  her  home,  and  what  she 
can  do, — then  will  we  talk  of  the  price." 

"She  Is  no  beggar  maid,"  her  father 
answered,  lifting  his  head,  "  for  I,  her 
father,  belong  to  the  literati  in  my  own 
province,  and  her  people  have  ever  been 
great  ones.  But  alas  !  the  wild  rebellion 
swept  through  our  land,  and  we  saw  our 
home  in  ruins,  our  all  destroyed.  Starva- 
tion must  be  our  lot  If  we  stayed  there,  so 
I  started  for  Lu  Chang,  bringing  my  fam- 
ily, hoping  here  to  find  work.  But  I 
have  failed,  and  Tuen  is  now  my  only 
hope.  She  is  young  and  strong  and  fair, 
a  valuable  possession  to  the  one  who  buys 
her.     She  is  also  wise  and  good,  of  most 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  27 

amiable  disposition,  and  quick  in  learning 
woman's  work,  for  her  hands  are  deft  and 
her  mind  alert.  Because  such  girls  are 
rare  and  cannot  be  often  bought,  the  price 
for  her  is  no  petty  sum,"  Niu  concluded, 
anxious  now  to  drive  a  good  bargain. 

After  much  haggling  the  amount  was 
at  last  agreed  upon,  and  Tuen  listening 
wondered  that  so  many  strings  of  cash 
should  be  paid  for  a  useless  girl.  "Far, 
far  more  than  I  am  worth,"  she  told  her- 
self with  deep  humility. 

''Bring  her  to  my  yamen  *  to-morrow 
at  midday,"  the  Viceroy  said  as  he  got 
into  his  sedan,  "  and  the  money  will  then 
be  paid  you." 

Tuen  gazed  after  him  as  one  fascinated. 
To  her  excited  Imagination  he  looked  as 
stern  and  pitiless  as  the  gods  she  had  wor- 
shipped in  her  far-away  home,  and  the 
splendor  of  his  appearance  had  awed  her. 
Her  father  was  divided  between  grief  at 

*  The  official  residence  of  a  Viceroy. 


28  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

her  fate,  and  the  joy  at  the  thought  of  the 
great  wealth  that  would  be  his  on  the  mor- 
row, for  the  sum  agreed  upon  was  enough 
to  make  him  comfortable  the  remainder  of 
his  life  in  that  land  where  necessities  cost 
but  little  and  luxuries  are  almost  un- 
known. 

The  family  of  Niu  Tsang  spent  that 
night  in  the  open  space  in  front  of  the 
temple,  and  scarce  had  Tuen  fallen  asleep 
when  she  was  awakened  by  a  great  com- 
motion. She  heard  loud  cries  in  the 
street,  mingled  with  the  incessant  beating 
of  drums  and  cymbals,  and  moving  lights 
and  grotesque  figures  were  all  around  her. 
Springing  to  her  feet  she  uttered  a  pierc- 
ing shriek,  for  her  first  thought  was  that 
the  Viceroy  had  come  for  her. 

''  Don't  let  him  have  me — don't  let  him 
have  me,"  she  screamed  wildly. 

''  Hush  !  "  her  father  commanded.  ''  Do 
you  not  see  that  this  is  the  procession  of 
the  Rain    Dragons?       The   drouorht   has 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  29 

been  very  long,  and  the  people  try  to 
please  the  gods,  so  that  we  may  have  cool- 
inor  showers." 

Tuen  rubbed  her  eyes,  and  slipping  close 
to  her  mother  watched  eagerly  the  strange 
gathering  that  now  came  in  sight.  In 
front  was  a  surging  crowd,  uttering  cries 
of  delight,  and  behind  came  a  throng  of 
men  bearing  aloft  huore,  hideous  draofons. 
The  heads  of  these  serpents  were  made  of 
thin  paper  with  lights  inside,  and  their 
eyes  were  red  as  fire,  while  their  wide-open 
mouths  gaped  hungrily.  Their  bodies 
were  made  of  semi-transparent  cloth  over 
hoops  of  bamboo,  and  men  walked  under- 
neath holdinof  them  hieh  in  the  air  with 
sticks  which  they  so  moved  that  the  drag- 
ons made  their  way  along  in  undulating 
heaps,  much  to  the  delight  of  the  popu- 
lace. But  Tuen  viewed  It  all  very 
seriously. 

"  Will  the  dragons  let  it  rain  now,  fa- 
ther?" she  inquired  anxiously. 


30  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

"  Oh,  I  suppose  so,"  he  answered  care- 
lessly. ''They  will  if  they  are  ready  to, 
and  if  they  are  not — well,  it  will  still  be 
dry.  And  now,  Tuen,  you  must  go  to 
sleep  again,  for  the  Viceroy  will  not  want 
a  blinking,  stupid  girl.  He  will  say  that 
I  cheated  him." 

"Did  you,  father?"  she  questioned 
fearfully,  but  her  father  only  chuckled  and 
said  nothing,  and  poor  Tuen  had  a  new 
thought  to  torment  her. 

With  all  these  things  on  her  mind  it 
was  long  before  she  could  go  to  sleep,  and 
when  her  weary  eyes  could  keep  open  no 
longer,  she  was  pursued  in  her  dreams  by 
a  horrible  dragon  with  yawning,  cruel 
mouth,  and  gleaming  eyes,  and  when  help- 
lessly she  sank  down  before  this  awful  ob- 
ject,— lo  !  it  turned  into  the  Viceroy. 

The  dream  was  not  reassuring,  and 
when  the  morrow  came  she  could  not  for- 
get it 


CHAPTER  IV. 

LONG  before  the  sun  was  up  Tuen  and 
her  mother  were  huddled  together, 
talking  in  low  tones  about  the  wealth  Niu 
would  receive  from  the  Viceroy,  and  Tuen 
ever  found  herself  planning  what  they 
would  do  when  they  went  back  to  their 
native  town,  and  then  she  would  suddenly 
remember  that  she  would  not  be  with 
them,  and  a  great  lump  would  come  up 
into  her  throat  and  choke  her.  And  it 
was  small  wonder  that  she  felt  she  would 
gladly  starve  with  them  rather  than  pay 
such  a  terrible  price  for  bread. 

All  the  morning  they  squatted  forlornly 

before  the  temple,   hungry  and  desolate 

and  sorrowful,  and  when  at  last  Niu  Tsang 

arose,  and  Tuen  knew  that  the  awful  mo- 

31 


32  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

ment  when  she  must  leave  them  forever 
had  come,  she  felt  as  if  she  should  surely 
die.  Her  mother  caressed  her,  crying  in 
a  hopeless,  patient  way,  but  she  managed 
to  whisper  encouragingly  : 

''After  all,  you  will  be  better  off,"  and 
Tuen  answered  bravely  :  "All  of  us  will,  I 
hope,  be  better  off,  mother.  At  least  we 
shall  not  die  of  hunorer." 

''  No,  and  nothing  could  be  worse  than 
that,"  her  mother  said  w^ith  a  shudder,  for 
she  was  even  now  weak  and  well-nigh  ex- 
hausted. 

"  You  will  never  again  want  for  food, 
mother,"  Tuen  repeated,  finding  her  only 
consolation  in  this  knowleds^e.  "  Never 
again  be  hungry,  and  after  a  while  my 
brother  will  grow  up  and  marry  a  wife  to 
wait  on  you.  But  mother,  mother,  I  will 
not  be  there,  never,  never,  never,"  and 
Tuen  rocked  herself  to  and  fro  and 
moaned. 

"  It  is  true,"  her  mother  answered,  "  but 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  33 

to  live  in  the  house  of  a  \"iceroy  is  not 
an  unpleasant  prospect,  for  it  must  be 
ver)'  splendid  there."  Thus  did  these  two 
poor  ones  try  to  comfort  each  other. 

"  I  will  try  to  make  the  best  of  it,  and 
maybe  the  gods  will  have  pity  on  me," 
Tuen  finally  said,  and  with  a  last  embrace 
of  her  mother,  a  last,  long  look  at  her  baby 
brother,  she  followed  her  father,  and  she 
held  her  head  very  high,  and  did  not  dare 
to  look  back  at  them,  lest  her  courage 
fail  her. 

Niu  Tsang  was  also  grief-stricken  and 
spoke  but  little  as  they  made  their  way 
through  the  narrow,  crowded  streets, 
where  the  throng  ever  pressed  and  jostled 
in  good-natured  confusion.  At  last  they 
stopped  in  front  of  a  high  wall,  more  pre- 
tentious than  any  they  had  yet  seen. 
Upon  the  lintels  of  the  door,  which  was 
cut  in  the  centre  of  the  wall,  were  impos- 
ing boards  with  curious  red  letters  upon 
them  announcing  the  literary  rank  of  the 


34  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

owner,  while  from  the  eaves  hung  lanterns 
inscribed  with  his  name  and  rank. 

"  It  is  the  Viceroy's  yamen,"  her  father 
said  briefly.     "  Let  us  enter." 

The  gate-keeper,  nodding  contemptu- 
ously to  them  as  he  noticed  the  poverty 
of  their  appearance,  allowed  them  to  pass 
when  Niu  stated  that  he  had  an  appoint- 
ment with  the  Viceroy,  and  as  this  outer 
door,  upon  which  v/as  carved  the  protect- 
ing gods,  closed  behind  them,  Tuen  felt 
that  she  had  in  truth  passed  the  gates  of 
doom.  Nevertheless  as  they  entered  the 
small  space  within  the  doorway,  guarded 
on  each  side  by  great  stone  lions,  she 
forced  back  the  tears  that  almost  blinded 
her,  and  looked  curiously  at  this  ogre  pal- 
ace that  was  henceforth  to  be  her  home. 
To  the  left  was  the  shrine  of  the  gods  of 
the  threshold,  where  a  bowl  of  ashes 
showed  that  incense  sticks  had  lately 
burned,  and  on  the  right,  behind  bright 
red  boards  ornamented  with  gilt  lettering, 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  35 

were  several  sedan  chairs.     As  they  went 
behind  the  screen  that  separated  this  en- 
trancevray  from  the  inner  buildings  they 
found  themselves  in  a  paved  court  where 
flowers  bloomed  in  fancy  jars,  and  rows  of 
ornamental  shrubbery  outlined  the  walk. 
Here  they  were  met  by  a  porter,  more 
supercilious    in    manner   than    the   gate- 
keeper, and  it  was  only  after  a  prolonged 
argument,  for  he  liked  not  to  admit  such 
unprepossessing  individuals,  that  he  finally 
conducted  them  to  the  main  hall,  where 
the  Viceroy  received  his  guests  and  trans- 
acted all  business.     i\t  one  end  of  this 
apartment  was  an  altar  dedicated  to  the 
household  spirits,  and  upon  it  were  incense 
vases   and  tall    candlesticks  of    wrought 
brass  in  which  red  wax  candles  were  burn- 
ing, while  on   the  wall  hung  gay  banners 
and  scrolls  of  white  satin,  inscribed  with 
the  maxims  of  Confucius.     Small  tables 
were  arranged  around  the  room,  with  two 
chairs  at  each  one,  where  tea  and  tobacco 


2,6  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

were  served  to  callers,  and  at  the  end  of 
the  hall  near  the  altar  was  a  square  couch 
'  filled  with  silken  pillows,  and  upon  this  the 
magistrate  half  reclined,  book  in  hand. 
He  was  clad  In  a  flowing  blue  tunic,  over 
which  were  scattered  crimson  flowers,  and 
upon  the  breast  was  embroidered  a  great 
golden  lily,  its  centre  a  lustrous  pearl. 
His  loose  pantaloons  were  met  below  the 
knees  by  stockings  of  white  silk,  and  his 
thick-soled  shoes  were  made  of  yellow  silk. 
Upon  his  head  was  a  red  satin  cap,  adorned 
at  the  top  with  a  crimson  button,  an  insig- 
nia of  his  high  rank,  while  from  the  silken 
girdle  around  his  waist  hung  his  tobacco 
pouch,  pipe  case,  bag  for  flint  and  steel,  and 
two  purses  of  loosely  braided  tinsel  cord, 
in  which  huge  gold  watches  were  plainly 
visible.  His  wide  sleeves  were  much 
longer  than  his  arms,  and  shaped  like  a 
horseshoe  at  the  hand,  and  his  oirdle  was 
fastened  with  a  clasp  of  highly  polished 
jade.      Before  him  was  a  low  stand  of 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  2)7 

ebony,  upon  which  were  writing  materials, 
consisting  of  a  pencil  made  of  soft,  fine 
hair,  delicately  pointed  at  the  end,  a  bit  of 
India  ink,  and  a  small  stone  where  It  could 
be  rubbed  smooth. 

Tuen  had  a  confused  Idea  of  these  sur- 
roundings, although  her  eyes  seemed  fixed 
upon  the  tiled  floor,  and  her  heart  was 
beating  so  loudly  that  she  could  but  won- 
der If  the  Viceroy  heard  It. 

''  Ah,  you  have  come,"  he  said,  hardly 
looking  UD  from  the  book  he  was  read- 
Ing,  and  taking  no  notice  of  Xiu  Tsang's 
polite  greetings.  "'T  Is  to  be  hoped 
the  girl  will  prove  not  a  mere  Idle  con- 
sumer of  rice,  for  I  have  paid  a  good 
price  for  her." 

"  Not  so  much  as  she  Is  worth,"  her  fa- 
ther replied  quickly.  *'  She  Is  wonderfully 
smart,  considering  that  she  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  be  born  a  female." 

''  Girls  are  always  useless,"  the  Viceroy 
answered,  pursing  up  his  lips  knowingly 


38  Tuen,  Slave  and  bmpress. 

"  and  the  gods  in  punishment  send  us 
many." 

*'  It  is  indeed  so,"  Niu  readily  agreed. 
**  They  are  a  crop  that  never  fails.  The 
land  teems  with  them,  and  there  seems  no 
prospect  of  decrease." 

"  And  yet  I  have  burdened  myself  with 
another,"  the  Viceroy  said  regretfully. 

"  If  your  illustrious  highness,"  Niu 
commenced,  when  the  Viceroy  interrupted 
him. 

''  The  trade  is  made,"  he  said  shortly. 
*'  It  only  remains  for  the  coin  to  be 
counted." 

Then  he  signed  for  a  servant  to  ap- 
proach. 

"Take  the  girl  to  Wang,"  he  com- 
manded. 

Tuen  uttered  a  little  gasp  but  did  not 
move,  and  her  father,  seeing  her  agita- 
tion, said  tenderly  : 

"  Go,  my  daughter,  and  may  all  the 
gods  protect  you." 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  39 

Tuen  followed  the  attendant,  her  form 
shaking  with  suppressed  sobs,  and  he  led 
the  way  from  the  main  hall  into  a  second 
court,  larger  and  more  beautiful  than  the 
the  first.  A  gnarled  and  twisted  ever- 
green, simulating  a  canopy,  stood  in  the 
centre  of  this  court,  and  underneath  its 
thick  branches  was  a  little  pool,  encircled 
by  moss-covered  rocks,  and  filled  with 
brilliant  gold-fish.  The  walk  was  formed 
of  many-colored  pebbles,  laid  in  unique 
designs,  but  Tuen  did  not  have  time  to 
decipher  them  for  she  was  hurried  on  into 
a  luxurious  apartment,  where  bright-col- 
ored lanterns  of  horn  and  oiled  silk,  dec- 
orated with  long  red  tassels,  hung  from 
the  joists,  and  on  the  walls  were  pen-and 
ink-sketches  of  landscapes,  and  paper  pan- 
els bearing  the  ornamental  autographs  of 
friends — for  Vv'ith  the  Chinese,  fine  writing 
is  a  great  accomplishment.  The  bedstead 
was  of  ebony,  carved  in  fruits  and  flowers, 
and  from    the    tester   hung   draperies  of 


40  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

flowered  silk.  Beside  it  was  a  massive 
chair  of  the  same  costly  wood,  the  arms 
ending  in  dragon's  claws  ;  and  rich  porce- 
lain vases,  taller  than  Tuen,  stood  upon 
the  floor,  while  in  one  corner  was  a  hand- 
some pearl-inlaid  bookcase.  Tuen  had 
now  dried  her  eyes  and  was  looking  in 
wondering  amazement  at  this  fairy-land 
she  had  entered,  and  as  they  went  out 
through  the  leaf-shaped  door,  hung  with 
silken  curtains,  and  through  a  narrow  cor- 
ridor lighted  by  means  of  a  window  made 
of  small  panes  of  oyster-shell,  she  uttered 
an  exclamation  of  delight  at  the  beautiful 
scene  before  her.  They  were  now  in  a 
spacious  court,  where  lilies,  peonies,  gera- 
niums, and  many  flowers  she  had  never 
seen  before  bloomed  in  odd-shaped  jardi- 
nieres. In  the  centre  was  a  miniature 
lake  where  the  rich  green  leaves  of  the 
lotus  lay  upon  the  still  water,  and  here 
and  there  a  pink  bud  peeped  out  from  its 
cool  hiding-place.     Shrubs  cut  in  the  shape 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  41 

of  inviting  benches  or  cosy  chairs  invited 
the  weary  to  rest,  while  the  light  fell  dimly 
through  a  roof  of  oyster-shells  upon  this 
lovely  spot.     A  polished  stone  table  stood 
on  the  bank  of  the  lake,  with  chairs  around 
it — for  here  the  Viceroy  often  came  to  drink 
his  tea— and  hanging  from  the  branches  of 
trees  were  cages  of    chirping    goldfinch. 
Tuen  could  but  wish  she  might  stay  here 
a  little  while,  but  her  guide  was  anxious 
to  be   rid  of    her  and   went   quickly  on. 
They  now  entered  another  bedroom,  not 
less  magnificent  than  the  one  she  had  lately 
seen,  where  the  air  was  heavy  with  the  per- 
fume of  incense  that  burned  in  a  copper 
tripod,  and  passing  out  at  a  door,  this  time 
shaped  like  an  urn,  she  was  led  through 
many    other   corridors    and    apartments, 
until  at  last  they  came  to  the  last  court  of 
all,  where,  surrounded  by  earthen  tubs  and 
buckets,  two  women  were  washing  clothes, 
chattering  constantly  the  while.     A  little 
apart  from  them  stood  an  elderly  woman 


42  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

with  a  shrewd,  pleasant  face,  who  seemed 
to  be  overlooking  the  others. 

"The  Viceroy  sent  her  to  you,"  the  ser- 
vant who  was  with  Tuen  said  to  the  older 
woman,  pointing  with  one  finger  to  the 
shrinking  girl  behind  him. 

At  his  words  the  women  looked  up  from 
their  work  with  evident  curiosity,  for  there 
was  but  little  break  in  the  monotony  of 
their  lives,  and  this  newcomer  was  there- 
fore interesting.  The  one  to  whom  he 
spoke  came  forward  that  she  might  better 
examine  her  charge. 

"  Where  did  he  get  her  ?  "  she  inquired, 
regarding  Tuen  with  something  like  dis- 
favor in  her  keen  eyes. 

"Bought  her,"  was  the  man's  laconic 
answer.  "  From  the  ragman  it  appears," 
he  also  volunteered  ;  and  then  with  a  shrug 
of  his  shoulders  he  went  away. 

"  He  was  cheated  if  he  paid  much. 
Don't  you  say  so,  Wang  ? "  one  of  the  wo- 
men said  with  a  laugh  that  was  not  unkind. 


i 


TUEN  AND  WANG. 


Page  43, 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  43 

A  feeling  of  such  utter,  overpowering 
loneliness  swept  over  Tuen  as  she  stood 
undergoing  their  scrutiny  that  all  at  once 
she  slipped  down  on  the  muddy  ground 
and  fell  to  weeping  violently.' 

"  A  cry-baby,"  one  of  them  muttered 
contemptuously,  returning  to  her  work. 

''  Poor  child,"  the  one  called  Wang 
murmured,  perhaps  remembering  the  day 
when  she  had  been  bought  by  the  Vice- 
roy ;  and  she  w^ent  over  to  the  prostrate 
figure. 

"  O  come,  there 's  nothing  to  cry 
about,"  she  said  pleasantly.  ''You  are 
in  great  good-fortune  to  have  such  an 
illustrious  and  wealthy  gentleman  as  the 
Viceroy  to  buy  you.  It's  not  every  girl 
has  such  a  master." 

"  No  indeed,"  replied  the  younger  of 
the  other  two  women.  "Why  he  never 
beats  us  at  all." 

Encouraged  by  these  cheerful  remarks 
Tuen's  sobs  grew  less,  and  she  surrepti- 


44  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

tiously  dried  her  eyes  on  the  skirt  of  her 
jacket. 

"You  look  like  a  lazy  thing,"  the  wo- 
man who  had  called  her  a  cry-baby,  said 
spitefully.  "  Get  up  from  there  and  draw 
me  a  bucket  of  water." 

"You  must  not  scold  the  child,  Zau," 
Wang  interposed.  "  She  is  only  a  bit 
homesick,  now." 

Zau  muttered  something  to  herself  as 
Tuen  took  the  bucket  and  went  over  to 
the  middle  of  the  court,  where  a  stone 
with  a  small  hole  in  the  top  covered  the 
well. 

While  she  was  at  her  task  the  women 
whispered  among  themselves  and  nodded 
toward  her,  but  when  she  returned  Wang 
only  said  : 

"Come  with  me  and  I  will  get  you 
some  better  clothes.  Then  I  will  take 
you  to  see  the  wife  of  the  Viceroy." 


o 


CHAPTER  V. 

N   the  day  that  Tuen  arrived  at  the 
yamen,   the  wife  of   the  Viceroy 
came  out  into  the  court  to  take  her  airing, 
and  because  her  poor  little  feet  were  so 
small  they  would  not  bear  her  weight,  a 
maid  walked  on  each  side  to  support  her. 
Even   then   she  tottered  helplessly,   and 
was  glad  to  sit  down  in  a  chair  beside  the 
lily  pool.     She  was  low  and  plump,  with 
a  wealth   of  glossy  black  hair  arranged 
high  on  her  head,  and  adorned  with  many 
fancy  pins,  while  across  her  forehead  was 
a  pointed  band  embroidered  in  gold  and 
pearls,  getting  gradually  narrower  toward 
the  back,  where   it   was   fastened  with  a 
jewelled  brooch.      Her  sloping  eyebrows, 
shaped  like  a  crescent  moon,  were  heavily 

45 


46  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

pencilled,  her  olive  complexion  was  light- 
ened by  a  generous  supply  of  powder, 
and  her  cheeks  and  lips  and  even  her 
little  round  chin  had  been  touched  with 
vermilion.  The  costume  she  wore  was 
not  less  striking  than  was  her  appear- 
ance, consisting  of  a  long  outer  robe  of 
pink  crepe,  embroidered  in  blue  and  red 
flowers  with  golden  centres,  with  here  and 
there  a  spray  of  green  leaves,  and  on  her 
breast  was  the  yellow  lily,  the  same  as  the 
one  the  Viceroy  wore.  From  beneath 
this  robe  came  a  plaited  petticoat  of  pale 
green  silk,  and  with  every  step  the  folds 
opened  and  closed,  showing  the  pink  lin- 
ing. Her  chubby  feet  were  encased  in 
diminutive  shoes  of  red  satin,  heavily 
worked  in  gilt  thread,  from  her  ears  hung 
two  pairs  of  long,  swinging  ear-rings,  and 
upon  her  arms  were  gold  and  silver  brace- 
lets, from  one  of  which  hung  an  amulet 
of  jade  to  ward  off  evil  spirits.  The  long 
sleeves  of  her  tunic  covered  her  hands. 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  47 

for  in  China  it  is  immodest  for  a  woman 
to  expose  her  hands  or  wrists,  or  any  part 
of  her  body. 

Despite  the  gorgeousness  of  her  apparel 
there  was  nothing  haughty  in  the  bearing 
of  this  great  lady,  and  although  her  coun- 
tenance was  destitute  of  that  intellectu- 
ality that  brightens  the  faces  of  the  women 
of  the  western  world,  her  expression  was 
one  of  extreme  amiability. 

*'  Can  you  tell  me  nothing  that  will 
interest  me?  Have  you  not  some  news 
of  what  goes  on  in  the  city?"  she  asked, 
turning  to  one  of  the  maids  ;  but  hardly 
had  she  finished  speaking  when  Wang 
appeared,  followed  by  the  timid  Tuen. 

*'  Ah,  here  is  the  little  slave  of  whom  I 
have  heard  ! "  she  exclaimed,  seeing  their 
approach.      "Bring  her  here,  Wang." 

Tuen  made  her  salutations  humbly,  and 
waited  w^ith  hands  clasped  in  front  of 
her  for  the  verdict  of  her  new  mistress. 
Thanks   to    the    kindly    ministrations   of 


48  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

Wang,  her  face  was  now  clean,  her  hair 
neatly  braided,  and  her  old  worn-out  gar- 
ments replaced  by  new  ones. 

The  Viceroy's  lady  examined  her  criti- 
cally, even  approvingly,  as  she  said  :  *'  I 
am  glad  she  has  such  big  feet.  She  can 
the  better  work.  Only  ladies  of  high 
rank  should  bind  their  feet — it  is  foolish- 
ness in  servants." 

Tuen  looked  from  her  own  brown, 
shapely  feet  to  the  clumsy  ones  of  her  mis- 
tress, and  was  silent,  though  It  must  be  con- 
fessed she  thought  the  Viceroy's  wife  had 
the  very  loveliest  feet  she  had  ever  seen. 

"Can  you  do  anything?"  the  lady 
next  questioned ;  and  Tuen  managed  to 
stammer  that  she  knew  how  to  embroider, 
and  to  cook  some  dishes  that  were  es- 
teemed dainties  in  the  province  of  Hunan, 
from  whence  she  came.  But  her  new 
mistress  seemed  astonished  at  the  enu- 
meration of  these  accomplishments,  and 
said  coldly. 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  49 

"  We  have  those  who  are  well  trained 
to  do  such  work  for  us.  If  you  are  quick 
to  learn,  Wang  will  teach  you  other  things, 
and  if  you  are  stupid  and  bad," — here  she 
frowned  and  shook  her  head,  "why,  we 
will  sell  you  again." 

"  Sell  who  again  ?  "  cried  a  shrill  voice, 
and  Tuen  jumped  and  looked  hastily 
behind  her  to  see  from  whence  it 
came. 

The  Viceroy's  wife,  with  her  maids  sup- 
porting her,  quickly  rose  to  her  feet,  and 
with  many  low  bows  offered  the  vacant 
chair  to  an  old,  withered  woman,  most 
magnificently  attired,  who  emerged  from 
one  of  the  corridors.  This  elderly  female 
scorned  the  proffered  seat,  and  glared 
irately  around  her. 

"Who  is  this  creature?"  she  screamed, 
pointing  her  long,  bony  finger  at  Tuen, 
who  now  became  conscious  of  a  wild  de- 
sire to  fly. 

''  It  is  a  slave  my  husband  has  bought 


50  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

to-day,  mother,"  the  Viceroy's  lady  said 
in  a  humble,  almost  pleading  voice. 

"  Your  husband  has  bought  !  "  ex- 
claimed the  old  lady  in  a  tone  of  withering 
scorn.  "  You  mean  my  son  has  bought, 
do  you  not  ?  And  how  dare  you  speak  of 
selling  her?  You!  Umh  !  I  will  box  your 
ears  if  I  hear  any  more  such  saucy  talk." 

''Indeed,  indeed  I  did  not  mean  to  be 
disrespectful  to  your  worshipful  highness," 
the  wife  of  the  Viceroy  murmured.  But 
the  mother-in-law  was  not  so  readily  ap- 
peased. 

"  You,  who  must  worship  me  while  I 
am  alive,  and  when  I  am  dead  do  homage 
before  my  tablet,  to  sit  and  tell  me  what 
you  will  do  with  mine  and  my  son's  pos- 
sessions !  The  impudence  of  it  !  You 
need  a  good  beating  right  now,"  and  she 
glared  fiercely  at  the  trembling  wife. 
"As  for  that  girl,"  nodding  toward  Tuen, 
"  I  like  her  looks,  and  if  it  pleases  me  I 
will  take  her  for  my  maid." 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  51 

This  prospect  was  far  from  pleasing  to 
the  unhappy  little  slave  girl,  but  having 
delivered  this  threat  the  autocrat  of  the 
household  hobbled  away,  still  scolding 
beneath  her  breath.  No  wonder  that  the 
wife  of  the  Viceroy  drew  a  long  sigh  of 
relief  as  she  saw  the  figure  of  her  mother- 
in-law  disappear,  and  she  quite  compla- 
cently settled  herself  in  her  chair  and 
smoothed  out  the  folds  of  her  robe  as  if 
nothing  had  happened.  Such  scenes  as 
these  were  of  frequent  occurrence  in  this 
aristocratic  yamen,  for  by  the  laws  of  the 
land  the  son's  wife  must  be  subject  to  his 
parents,  and  yield  them  obedience  in  all 
things.  If  she  failed  in  this,  her  life  be- 
came a  burden  dreadful  to  be  borne,  for 
a  Chinese  mother-in-law  is  often  a  thing 
of  terror,  and  besides  it  was  a  satisfactory 
ground  for  divorce  for  the  husband  to  say 
that  his  wife  was  not  obedient  to  his 
mother.  The  reign  of  the  mother-in-law 
thus   became    a    thinor    not    curable,   and 


52  i  uen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

therefore  to  be  endured  with  all  the  pa- 
tience possible  under  the  circumstances. 
The  wife  of  the  Viceroy  possessed  a  large 
supply  of  this  valuable  article, — patience 
— and  bore  in  silence  the  many  taunts  of 
her  mother-in-law  ;  and  now  with  her  sere- 
nity unruffled  she  again  addressed  Tuen. 

''  You  spoke  of  the  province  of  Hunan. 
That  must  be  a  long  way  from  here,  as  I 
never  heard  of  it  before." 

''  It  is  very  far,"  Tuen  answered,  think- 
ing of  the  weary  weeks  they  had  jour- 
neyed through  the  country.  Then  she 
added  proudly  : 

*'  My  father  is  even  now  returning 
there,  but  I  shall  never  go  back." 

*'  Of  course  not,"  her  mistress  replied. 
"  Why  should  you,  when  you  have  food 
and  clothes  here  ?     Is  not  that  enough  ?" 

Tuen  was  saved  the  necessity  of  a 
reply,  for  the  Viceroy  now  appeared  on 
the  scene  fanning  himself  violently  with  a 
great  gauze  fan.     For  a  moment  he  did 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  53 

not  recognize  Tuen,  so  marked  was  the 
change  in  her  appearance,  and  he  inquired 
abruptly,  not  noticing  the  others  : 

"What  Is  your  name  ?" 

"Tuen,  oh  great  and  honored  sir,"  she 
replied  In  a  trembling  voice,  bowing  to 
the  ground,  for  she  stood  in  deep  awe  of 
this  powerful  magistrate. 

"She  Is  the  slave  you  bought  this  morn- 
ing," Wang  interposed,  and  at  this  the 
Viceroy  pursed  up  his  lips  in  astonish- 
ment. Again  he  looked  at  Tuen  closely, 
then  turnlno^  to  his  wife  said : 

"  She  is  young,  and  has  an  intelligent 
look.  I  am  glad  I  bought  her,  for  there 
is  something  in  her  manner  I  like,  and  I 
am  sure  she  will  be  useful." 

"  Her  face  belies  her,"  his  lady  put  in, 
"for she  seems  very  stupid." 

"At  any  rate  she  isn't  ugly,"  he  re- 
joined, and  at  this  remark  his  wife  threw 
back  her  head  quickly,  and  darted  an 
angry  glance  at  Tuen. 


54  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

"  I  don't  see  any  beauty,"  she  replied 
coldly.  ''  Ugh,  how  scrawny  she  Is  ! "  with 
a  satisfied  glance  at  her  own  plump  person. 

"Take  her  away,"  he  said  shortly  to 
Wang,  then  addressed  his  wife  in  the 
same  tones  of  displeasure. 

"  As  for  you,  come  with  me  to  the  Hall 
of  my  Ancestors  to  worship,"  and  he  led 
the  way  to  a  small  building,  shaped  like  a 
summer-house,  standing  at  the  far  end  of 
the  court.  The  floor  of  this  little  edifice 
was  of  tiling,  and  the  wood-work  was 
fancifully  carved  and  decorated,  while 
many  lanterns  hung  within.  At  the 
rear  was  an  altar  of  costly  jade,  before 
which  incense  was  now  burning,  and  upon 
it  stood  five  wooden  tablets  about  twelve 
inches  long  and  three  broad,  bearing  the 
name  and  the  date  of  death  of  his  an- 
cestors. The  Viceroy  and  his  wife 
prostrated  themselves  before  this  altar, 
knocking  their  heads  nine  times  upon  the 
floor,    as    their    lips    moved    in    prayer. 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 


OD 


These  rites  finished,  he  burned  a  quantity 
of  gilt  paper  in  the  bowl  placed  before 
the  tablets  for  that  purpose,  and  returned 
with  his  wife  to  the  court,  where  tea  w^as 
served.  As  he  sipped  this  invigorating 
beverage,  the  Viceroy  dismissed  the  ser- 
vants, and  when  alone  with  his  wife  re- 
turned to  the  former  topic  of  conversation. 

"The  girl  I  have  bought  is  no  common 
creature,"  he  informed  her,  *'but  of  good 
parentage.  I  desire  peace  in  my  family, 
and  for  that  reason  I  shall  take  no  other 
wives,  but  see  to  it  that  this  Tuen  is 
treated  well.  She  micrht  be  taught  to 
w^ait  upon  you." 

"  I  have  maids  enough,"  she  answered, 
"  and  I  do  not  need  this  one.  Let  her 
work  with  the  other  kitchen  slaves  ;  that 
is  the  place  for  her."  For  she  had  not  yet 
forgiven  him  for  saying  that  Tuen  was 
not  ugly. 

"Very  well,"  he  replied  indifferently. 
"  But  she  looked  like  a  smart  girl." 


56  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

"  She  is  but  a  stupid  child  yet,"  his  wife 
said,  now  somewhat  conciliated.  "  She 
may  improve  when  she  has  lived  with  us 
awhile,  but  she  has  much  to  learn." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  next  morning  Tuen  commenced 
her  simple  round  of  duties,  In  which 
she  was  Instructed  by  the  women  of  the 
inner  court.  At  first  her  work  was  only 
to  draw  water,  help  with  the  washing 
and  do  the  drudgery,  and  her  lot  was 
often  hard,  but  it  did  not  escape  the 
watchful  Wang  that  she  was  quick  and 
willing,  so  one  day  she  said  to  her  : 

*'Tuen,  there  is  much  spinning  to  be 
done,  and  if  your  fingers  are  very  nimble 
I  will  teach  you  to  manage  the  wheel. 
But  mind  you,  if  you  are  all  thumbs  you 
will  have  to  stay  where  you  are." 

So  that  was  the  way  it  came  about  that 
Tuen  was  soon  seated  at  the  little  spin- 
ning-wheel, with  its  three  spindles,  pulling 

57 


58  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

out  interminable  lengths  of  cotton  thread 
from  the  fleecy  rolls  in  her  hand,  and 
above  the  soft,  insistent  buzzing  of  the 
wheel  she  could  hear  the  voices  of  the 
others  as  thev  talked  amoncr  themselves. 
She  listened  attentively  to  all  they  said, 
as  she  v/orked,  vrith  both  feet,  the  treadle 
of  her  singing  vrheel,  and  her  face  was 
flushed  v.dth  pride  at  the  importance  of 
her  nev;  position.  She  sat  silent,  never 
once  raisincr  her  eves  from  her  vrork,  but 
in  all  the  Flowerv  Kin^^dom  there  v;as  not 
that  day  a  prouder  girl,  and  she  felt  so 
grateful  to  Wang  that  vrhen  dark  came, 
and  she  had  to  put  up  her  v/ork,  she  could 
not  help  from  o-ivino-  her  a  eood  hus". 

"  I  like  this  so  much  better  than  the 
kitchen  labor,"'  she  vhispered,  "  and  I 
intend  to  vrork  harder  than  I  ever  did  in 
all  my  life.  Only  let  me  stay  here,  dear 
Wang." 

And  when  Wang  promised,  she  went 
to  sleep  so  happy. 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  59 

Thus  the  weeks  went  by,  and  Tuen's 
face  grew  full,  and  her  arms  round  and 
plump,  and  she  forgot  all  about  what  it 
was  to  be  hungry,  and  was  quite  satisfied. 
She  still  often  thouQ-ht  about  her  dear 
ones,  but  she  no  longer  wept  to  see  them 
as  she  had  once  done,  and  in  place  of  cry- 
ing because  she  would  never  live  with 
them  ao;ain,  she  commenced  to  think  of 
them  as  so  rich  and  fine  in  their  own 
home,  and  all  because  of  her. 

Once  as  they  all  sat  spinning,  a  young 
woman  said  dolefully  : 

"  Oh  how  I  wish  I  had  little  feet  !  Ev- 
ery one  knows  that  I  am.  but  a  common 
laborer  as  soon  as  thev  see  me  cominor." 

''The  \^Iceroy's  wife  has  such  pretty 
ones,"  Wang  answered.  "  They  are  not 
more  than  two  inches  long." 

"Such  feet  are  not  for  the  poor  like 
us,"  sighed  the  first  speaker.  "  Why, 
mine  must  be  over  ten  inches  lone.  I 
don't  suppose  any  one  will  ever  marry  me." 


6o  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

"  Just  look  what  long  ones  Tuen  has 
and  be  consoled,"  another  said  laugh- 
ingly. "  Surely,  the  child's  growth  has 
been  in  one  direction  only." 

*'  She  had  better  bind  a  piece  of  cloth 
tight  around  them  every  night,  so  they 
wont  grow  while  she  is  asleep,"  someone 
suggested. 

*'  I  don't  want  little  feet,"  Tuen  an- 
swered, for  the  first  time  taking  part  in 
the  conversation.  ''  I  am  a  Tartar,  and 
they  never  bind  their  feet.  My  mother 
told  me  so." 

**  What  stupidity  ! "  said  the  woman 
nearest  Tuen  contemptuously. 

"  No  it  is  not  stupidity,"  the  girl  re- 
plied firmly.  *'  My  father  was  a  very 
learned  man — he  belonged  to  the  litera- 
ti— "  looking  proudly  around  her  to  see 
the  effect  of  this  announcement,  "and  he 
said  the  custom  of  binding  the  feet  became 
the  fashion  because  an  Empress  was  once 
born  with  club  feet,  and  then  all  the  offi- 


I 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  6i 

cers  of  the  court  wrapped  up  their 
daughters  so  that  the  poor  Empress  would 
not  feel  bad  when  she  looked  at  her  own. 

"Your  father  must  be  very  smart  to 
tell  you  such  a  likely  tale  as  that,"  one  of 
her  companions  retorted  sarcastically. 
"  It 's  a  wonder  he  did  not  become  a  story- 
teller upon  the  street,  for  surely  all  would 
have  flocked  to  listen  to  him." 

"  I  once  heard  the  Viceroy  tell  the 
mistress  that  the  men  of  the  country 
originated  the  Idea  of  binding  the  women's 
feet,  so  they  would  not  go  gadding  about," 
Wang  interposed.  "  It  truly  is  a  good 
way  to  keep  them  at  home." 

*'  I  bound  the  feet  of  my  little  girl," 
said  one  of  the  women,  "  and  oh,  how  she 
did  cry.  But  I  did  n't  mind  that,  for  I 
was  determined  that  when  she  grew  up 
she  should  have  a  husband,  and  no  man 
wants  a  woman  with  big  feet.  And  it  's 
better  never  to  be  born  than  to  be  born  a 
girl,  any  way,  and  It  's  also  better  to  have 


62  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

never  been  born  than  not  to  have  a  hus- 
band. She  would  not  sleep  at  night,  but 
lay  sobbing  that  they  hurt  her  so,  and 
begging  me  to  take  the  bandage  off.  Of 
course  I  did  not  listen  to  her,  and  had  she 
lived  her  feet  would  have  been  as  small 
perhaps  as  those  of  the  Viceroy's  wife  • 
but  when  she  died  every  one  said  I  ought 
to  be  glad  to  get  rid  of  a  girl,  and 
that  there  would  be  one  mouth  less  to 
feed." 

"  Were  you  glad  ?  "  asked  Tuen. 

The  woman  shook  her  head. 

"No,"  she  said.  ''I  loved  her  if  she 
was  a  girl." 

"  My  father  and  my  mother  both  loved 
me,"  Tuen  told  them  with  a  sigh,  "and 
they  would  not  have  sold  me  if  they  had 
not  been  hungry.  Then  they  did  not 
want  to  do  It,  but  I  made  them." 

"And  you  are  a  lot  better  off,"  Wang 
said. 

"  I  would  have  rather  been  poor  all  my 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  63 

life  and  stayed  with  them,"  was  Tuen's 
answer. 

'•  She  is  a  strange  child,"  one  of  them 
whispered  to  her  neighbor.  "  She  says 
such  very  stupid  things." 

''  Talking  of  story-tellers,"  cried  one  of 
them,  ''reminds  me  that  once  on  the 
Festival  of  the  Dead  as  I  went  to  the 
hills  to  worship  at  the  grave  of  my  hus- 
band's ancestors,  I  heard  a  man  tell  such 
a  wonderful  story.  If  I  had  had  any 
cash  I  would  have  given  it  to  him.  It 
was  all  about  a  great  lady  whose  husband 
pretended  to  be  dead  and  afterwards  came 
back  to  life  and  cut  her  head  off.  He 
said  he  knew  a  great  many  delightful 
tales  that  he  had  read  in  books,  and  I 
would  have  loved  to  listen  to  him  all  day, 
but  my  husband  said  a  woman  could  not 
understand  such  things." 

"  Oh  I  would  love  to  read,"  Tuen 
breathed  eagerly,  and  the  women  laughed 
at   this   speech    and   said  she  was   truly 


64  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

foolish.       Tuen    blushed    and   hung   her 
head,  and  after  this  she  was  silent. 

A  year  had  passed  since  Tuen  came  to 
live  at  the  Viceroy's  yamen,  and  in  that 
time  she  had  grown  taller,  fairer,  and  now 
was  budding  into  womanhood,  or  at 
least  so  it  was  considered  in  that  land, 
where  girls  of  twelve  years  old  are  thought 
mature  enough  to  marry.  She  had  be- 
come a  great  favorite  with  every  one  in 
the  palace  on  account  of  her  amiable 
disposition  and  kindness  to  every  one, 
and  even  the  Viceroy's  wife  had  forgotten 
her  former  prejudice  and  took  a  kindly 
interest  In  her.  Wang,  seeing  that  her 
fingers  were  nimble  and  her  hand  steady, 
had  long  ago  promoted  her  to  a  place 
before  the  embroidery  frame,  and  was 
delighted  to  see  how  skilful  the  girl  was 
with  the  needle.  She  tauo^ht  Tuen  to 
embroider  on  delicate  silks  and  crepes  the 
most  beautiful  flowers  in  nature's  earden, 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  65 

and  many  strange  creeping  things  that 
were  said  to  live  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea 
and  turn  yellow  if  the  sun  shone  on  them, 
so  they  must  always  be  worked  in  glitter- 
ino-  ailt  thread,  brigrht  as  the  sunshine. 
And  such  charming  colors  as  she  day  by 
day  painted  in  with  her  needle  I  No 
wonder  that  finally  she  made  many  gar- 
ments for  little  Tunor-li,  the  onlv  child  of 
the  proud  \^iceroy,  and  gorgeous  robes 
thev  were  to  behold.  At  last  Wanor's 
pride  in  her  pupil  caused  her  to  suggest 
that  Tuen  should  make  a  tunic  for  the 
Viceroy  as  a  present  on  the  coming  New 
Year,  for  it  is  the  Chinese  custom  to 
exchanore  aifts  at  that  season.  So  Tuen 
went  to  work  on  a  piece  of  lustrous  purple 
satin,  and  scattered  over  it  half-open  pink 
buds,  and  crimson  blossoms,  and  yellow 
flowers  strung  together  with  gold  thread, 
and  upon  the  breast  of  it  she  worked  the 
golden  lily.  \'ery  proud  was  she  of  her 
handiwork  when  the  last  stitch  had   been 


66  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

taken  and  she  held  it  up  before  Wang's 
admiring  gaze,  and  truly  it  was  a  robe  fit 
to  be  worn  by  the  Emperor  himself. 

*'  How  can  I  ever  repay  you,  dear 
Wang,"  Tuen  cried,  ''  for  teaching  me  to 
do  this  ?  If  it  only  brings  me  favor  with 
the  Viceroy  I  shall  be  so  happy  !  " 

And  Wang,  not  understanding  the 
secret  Tuen  had  locked  within  her  heart, 
answered  half  laughing,  but  perhaps  with 
a  grain  of  seriousness  under  the  jest  : 

"  By  having  me  for  your  maid,  little 
one,  when  you  become  a  great  lady." 

*'  Indeed,  indeed  I  will,"  the  girl  an- 
swered heartily,  "  and  for  even  more  than 
my  maid.  You  shall  be  my  friend,  my 
mother." 

And  this  promise  she  did  not  forget. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

OXE  who  has  never  been  in  China 
on  Xew  Year's  Day  cannot  under- 
stand the  indescribable  joy  with  which 
the  teeming  population  of  this  vast  Em- 
pire lays  aside  its  never-finished  work, 
and  clad  in  new  garments,  eoes  out  to 
welcome  the  incoming  year.  Deprived 
of  the  seventh  day  of  rest,  with  no  holi- 
days, feast  days,  or  fast  days,  to  take  them 
away  from  the  monotony  of  toil  for  a  lit- 
tle breathing  space,  it  is  not  to  be  won- 
dered at  that,  when  this  festive  season 
comes,  and  for  the  first  and  last  time 
during  the  year  all  shops  are  closed,  all 
business  stopped,  the  whole  country  seems 
mad  with  delio:ht.  Weeks  before  the  arri- 
val  of  this  great  day  the  streets  are  filled 
67 


68  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

with  little  stands  where  bright  colored 
papers,  flowers,  incense,  candles,  and  all 
the  various  articles  suitable  to  the  occa- 
sion, are  sold.  Then,  too,  this  is  the 
time  for  the  universal  washing  of  persons 
and  things,  and  although  the  land  is  not 
noted  for  cleanliness,  during  this  festival 
dirt  is  in  disfavor. 

At  the  residence  of  the  Viceroy  every- 
thing presented  a  gala  appearance.  After 
cleaning  and  scrubbing  in  every  available 
place,  the  house  had  been  purified  by 
prayers  and  ceremonies  and  incense,  and 
when  New  Year's  eve  came  nothing  was 
lacking  save  the  final  decorations.  With- 
out the  populace  thronged  the  streets, 
and  their  loud  shouts  and  beating  of 
gongs  and  drums,  and  the  popping  of  in- 
numerable fire-crackers  made  a  deafening 
din.  People  stood  at  their  gateways 
busily  employed  in  pasting  strips  of  red 
paper  entreating  the  five  blessings,  or 
bearing  congratulatory  mottoes,  upon  the 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  69 

lintels  of  their  doors,  and  from  every 
conceivable  place  fluttered  narrow  papers 
bearing  the  word  F2ih  (happiness). 

Tuen    was    in    a   state    of    pleasurable 
excitement  as  she  ran  about  the  yamen 
o-ivincr  a  touch  here  and  there  to  the  prep- 
arations,  for  on  New  Year's  night  no  one 
could  think  of  sleeping.     The  shrine  of 
the  household  gods  had  been  decorated 
with  great  porcelain  vases  filled  with  the 
dainty  blossoms  of  the  narcissus,  and  enor- 
mous red  candles,  gaily  painted,  burned 
there  ;    in   the   corridors   hung  scrolls   of 
silk  and  satin  upon  which  were  inscribed 
maxims  and   propitiatory  sentences,  and 
all  the  various  apartments  were  garnished 
with  fruits   and  flowers,  while  upon    the 
walls  were  garlands  of  kin  hwa,  or  golden 
flowers,  made  of  tinselled  brass  and  looped 
with  long  streamers  of  red  and  gold  paper. 
Tuen  had    taken  a  perfumed   bath    in 
in  which  had  been  steeped  the  leaves  of 
the  fragrant  hoang  py,  and  arrayed  her- 


70  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

self  in  her  new  apparel,  the  gift  of  the 
Viceroy  to  all  his  servants.  As  she  lis- 
tened to  the  never-ending  popping  of  the 
fire-crackers,  and  the  bursting  of  the 
Roman-candles  and  sky-rockets,  her  eyes 
fairly  shone,  and  her  heart  fluttered  joy- 
ously. Then  she  remembered  the  gift 
she  had  made  for  the  Viceroy,  and  she 
fell  to  wonderinof  what  he  would  think  of 
it.  .Already  she  had  taken  it  to  his  wife 
to  give  to  him,  and  she  amused  herself  by 
trying  to  think  of  the  words  he  would  say 
when  first  he  beheld  it.  He  was  going  to 
the  temple  early  in  the  morning  to  wor- 
ship— that  she  knew.  Would  he  wear  it 
there  ?  Would  he  be  pleased  ?  Would  he 
speak  to  her  ?  Or  would  he  not  appreci- 
ate the  many  weeks  she  had  toiled  over 
it,  putting  in  the  most  exquisite  touches, 
and  the  daintiest  stitches,  and  blending 
shade  in  shade  with  perfect  art,  and 
merely  consider  it  the  work  of  a  slave, 
who  did  it  because  she  was  ordered  ?    This 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  71 

thought  was  bitter,  for  her  work  had  been 
sweetened,  it  is  true,  by  her  grateful 
remembrance  of  his  kindness  to  her,  but 
still  she  had  another  plan  in  her  active 
little  brain,  and  if  he  did  not  marvel  at 
the  exceeding  beauty  of  the  garment,  and 
speak  to  her  in  person  of  her  skilful 
needle-work,  she  would  never  again  have 
a  chance  to  beg  of  him  this  one  great 
favor.  And  she  wanted  it  so  very  much 
that  she  could  never  rest  satisfied  until 
she  had  prayed  him  to  grant  it.  She 
seemed  doomed  to  disappointment,  for  in 
the  early  dawn  of  the  new-born  year  the 
Viceroy,  clad  in  gorgeous  costume,  and 
wearing,  it  is  true,  the  tunic  Tuen  had 
made  him,  started  to  the  temple,  carrying 
with  him  the  little  Tung-li,  whose  fifth 
birthday  he  this  day  celebrated.  Tuen 
heard  from  Wang  that  he  had  gone  but 
he  sent  her  no  message,  and  hope  died 
in  her  breast. 

*'  He  thought  not  of  the  slave  girl  who 


72  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

wrought  It,"  she  murmured  sadly  to  Wang. 
"  He  knew  that  you  gave  me  the  material 
and  told  me  to  make  it,  and  he  don't  think 
anything  of  it."  And  that  worthy  domes- 
tic was  also  greatly  cast  down,  for  she 
wanted  to  see  Tuen  advance  in  her  mas- 
ter's favor,  and  had  contrived  many  things 
for  that  very  end. 

Meanwhile  the  sedan  containing  the 
Viceroy  was  being  rapidly  borne  through 
the  street,  while  behind  came  another  chair 
containing  his  little  heir.  It  looked  as  if 
the  weary,  stolid,  poorly  clad  people  that 
usually  thronged  the  thoroughfare,  had  in 
the  past  night  been  touched  by  the  wand 
of  a  genius,  and  lo  !  what  a  wonderful 
transformation  there  was  this  morning. 
Each  one  now  was  clad  In  new  garments, 
and  the  faces  of  all  were  wreathed  in 
smiles,  and  every  one  was  happy.  The 
gate-ways,  covered  with  red  and  gold 
paper,  presented  a  most  picturesque  ap- 
pearance, although  alas  !  upon  many  was 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  H 

the  fatal  blue  strip,  telling  the  passers  by 

that  within  the  past  year  death  had  in- 
vaded that  household.     Upon  stalls,  and 
baskets,  and  barrels,  and  in  every  nook  and 
corner  prayers  to  the  different  gods  were 
pasted;   actors   and  jugglers  entertained 
those  who  would  stop  to  look  at  them, 
and  reaped  a  plentiful  harvest  of  coins  ; 
the   brilliantly   costumed    crowd    moved 
alono-  in  the  soft  morning  light  like  the 
figures  in  a  kaleidoscope,  and  when  friend 
met  friend  what  a  struggle  there  was  to 
see  who  should  excel  in   politeness,  and 
bow  most  humbly,  while  the  cordial  greet- 
ing :    '' Kungli!    Kiuigli!''  (I  wish  you 
joy!  I  wish  you  joy  I)  was  heard  on  every 
side.     Reaching  the  temple  the  Viceroy 
conducted  his  son  within,  and  behind  them 
came    servants    bearing   gilt    and    silver 
paper,  printed  prayers,  and  bowls  contain- 
ing rice,  fruits,  meats,  vegetables,  and  li- 
bations.     The  priests,  arrayed  in  blue  and 
yellow  robes,  stopped   their  prostrations 


74  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

when  they  saw  this  distinguished  part}-  ap- 
proaching, and  one,  who  was  the  leader, 
stepped  forward,  and  commenced  to  chant 
a  prayer  consisting  of  frequent  repetitions, 
in  a  high,  nasal  voice,  the  attendants  join- 
ing in  the  chorus,  and  beating  with  much 
vehemence  upon  the  drums  and  gongs. 
All  now  bowed  before  the  great  bronze 
image  of  the  god  they  worshipped,  the 
mother  god,  as  she  was  called,  the  priests 
making  many  genuflections. 

Tung-li  looked  gravely  at  these  elabo- 
rate ceremonies,  and  quite  forgot  to  say 
the  prayer  he  had  been  taught,  but  per- 
haps that  did  not  matter.  Then  the 
priests  arose  to  their  feet,  and,  still  chant- 
ing, one  of  them  went  out  at  the  side  door 
of  the  temple  and  returned  canying  a  live 
cock  in  his  hand,  while  behind  him  came 
another  priest  rolling  a  small  barrel  open 
at  both  ends.  The  voices  of  the  priests 
who  had  remained  now  rose  higher  and 
higher,  and  amid  the  clash  of  gongs  and 


Tuen.  Slave  and  Empress.  75 

cymbals,  the  rolling  of  drums,  and  the  ring- 
ing of  bells,  the  cock  was  several  times 
passed  through  the  open  barreL  Thus 
did  the  priests  entreat  the  gods  that 
Tung-li  might  go  through  life  and  escape 
its  dangers  and  trials,  even  as  the  cock  had 
passed  through  the  barrel  and  received  no 
hurt.  This  done,  amid  the  burning  of 
prayers  and  papers  and  incense,  the  offer- 
ing of  the  provisions  brought,  and  the  din 
of  musical  instruments,  the  Viceroy  retired 
from  the  temple,  well  satisfied  with  his 
morning's  devotions. 

Poor  Tuno:-li  was  so  tired  that  he  went 
fast  asleep  on  the  way  home,  and  never 
even  heard  the  fire-crackers  that  were  pop- 
ping all  around  him,  nor  the  glad  shouts 
of  the  boys  who  played  on  the  streets,  and 
pitied  him  because  he  was  rich  and  must 
be  shut  up  in  a  sedan. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  Viceroy  has  sent  for  you,"  was 
the  message  that  caused  Tuen  to 
leap  to  her  feet  with  a  cry  of  joy. 

''  He  has  returned  from  the  temple  and 
is  in  the  audience  hall,  where  he  has  been 
receiving  calls  from  all  the  high  authori- 
ties of  the  city.  Now  he  is  alone,  and 
wishes  to  speak  with  you,"  the  servant 
further  volunteered.  Tuen  did  not  wait 
to  hear  more,  but  hastened  to  obey  the 
summons,  though  she  paused  outside  of 
the  Viceroy's  door  for  a  few  minutes  in 
order  to  calm  herself,  for  she  was  quite 
breathless.  Then  she  slipped  in,  and  saw 
him  sitting  before  a  table,  wearing  the 
superb  tunic  she  had  made,  and  clad  in 
robes  of  more  gorgeous  splendor  than 
,     76 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  ^^ 

she  had  ever  seen  him  wear.  ''  Kimgli! 
Ku7igli!  Oh,  great  and  glorious  one!" 
she  murmured  low,  saluting  him,  and 
then  v/ith  a  proud  flush  upon  her  face 
she  listened  to  his  words  of  praise. 

Now  it  so  happened  that  on  this  auspi- 
cious occasion  the  Viceroy  was  in  a  most 
gracious  mood.     He  had  received  many 
magnificent  offerings  from  his  people,  a 
bevy  of  his   friends   had  called   to  wish 
him  happiness,  and  said  many  flattering 
things.     On  the  table  before  him  was  a 
great  heap  of  large  red  cards  containing 
good  wishes  for  his  continued  prosperity, 
and   the  Viceroy  felt  that    he   had    just 
cause  to  feel  satisfied,  for  surely  he  was 
favored  by  the  gods.     When  he  had  com- 
plimented Tuen  upon   the  beauty  of  her 
needle-work,  not  forgetting  to  praise  her 
faithfulness   and   her  industry,  he  added 

kindly  : 

''  What  would  you  like  me  to  give  you, 
as  a  reward  for  your  work,  Tuen  ?  "     She 


78  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

made  no  answer,  for  although  she  had 
expected  this  question,  and  had  long 
ago  decided  upon  the  very  words  she 
would  say  in  reply,  now  that  the  time 
had  come  her  lips  were  dumb. 

''  Speak  !  What  is  it  ?  "  he  insisted,  but 
still  she  hesitated. 

He  looked  at  her  half-impatiently,  and 
then  he  saw  her  round,  rosy  face,  her 
lustrous,  pleading  eyes,  and  her  trembling 
little  mouth,  and,  his  humor  changing,  he 
smiled  encouragingly. 

Tuen,  seeing  this,  threw  herself  at  his 
feet  and  cried  out  impetuously  : 

''  O  wisest  and  best  among  men,  I  would 
like  to  learn  to  read.  " 

"  What  ? "  he  ejaculated  so  sharply  that 
her  new-found  courage  instantly  deserted 
her,  and  she  hid  her  face,  and  wondered 
at  her  own  audacity. 

In  truth  the  Viceroy  was  not  so  much 
displeased  as  he  was  astonished,  for  he 
had   never   dreamed    of   such    a   strange 


1   WOULD   LIKE   TO   LEARN   TO  READ."  Page  78. 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  79 

request,    and    could   hardly   believe    his 
ears. 

"You,  a  girl,  learn  to  read  !"  he  finally 
exclaimed  contemptuously.  ''  What  non- 
sense !  You  could  n't  learn  if  you  tried. 
You  haven't  sense  enough." 

"  Indeed,  I  think  I  have,"  she  said  in 
a  tearful  voice,  ''and  I  do  so  want  to 
know  about  things." 

"There  is  no  one  to  teach  you,"  he 
answered  shortly.  ''Go  back  to  your 
sewing,  your  gossip  among  the  women, 
and  know  that  It  was  for  that  you  were 
made,  else  had  you  been  born  a  man." 

"I  can't  help  what  I  was  born,"  she 
sobbed.  "  The  gods  made  me  a  woman, 
and  I  just  have  to  make  the  best  of  it." 

*'Umph!"  the  magistrate  grunted, 
watching  her  keenly  from  beneath  his 
drooping  lids,  and  something  told  Tuen 
that  her  reply  had  pleased  him,  so  now  she 
arose  to  her  feet,  and  entreated  softly  : 
"  Be  not  angry  with  Tuen.     Remember 


So         Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

you  told  her  to  make  her  wish  known  to 
you,  and  this  was  the  one,  the  only  desire 
of  her  heart  Everything  else  that  she 
could  want  you  have  given  her." 

''  Your  request  has  been  most  strange," 
he  replied,  somewhat  mollified ;  and  notic- 
ing this  difference  in  his  tone  she  per- 
sisted. 

'*  If  the  master  is  great  the  servant 
should  also  aspire,  that  he  may  be  worthy 
to  serve  such  a  master.  (For  this  was  a 
speech  she  had  heard  her  father  make, 
and  had  remembered.)  Is  not  that  true, 
O  wise  ruler  of  the  province  of  Kiangsi  ?^ 

"  Truly  for  a  woman  she  has  some  wit," 
he  told  himself ;  and  after  considering  a 
moment  he  said  to  her  : 

**  Answer  me  three  questions,  and  if 
your  words  are  wise  your  request  shall  be 
granted" 

"  I  will  try,"  she  replied  quietly,  but  she 
grew  very  pale. 

**  Well,  first,  why  do  you  wish  to  learn 


Tiion,  Slave  and  Minpross.  8i 

to  road  ? "  he  Inquired,  assuming  a  judi- 
cial air.  and  Tuen  felt  that  he  was  laugh- 
in^^  at  her.  but  that  knowledge  only  made 
her    the    more    determined    to    ^ain    her 

[HMUt. 

"  That  I  may  he  wise,  and  therefore 
good,  and  btMng  both  of  these  the  better 
able  to  serve  the  Viceroy."  she  answered 
with  a  low  bow. 

He  nodded  his  head  approvingly. 

"  I  would  U^t  all  of  my  servants  learn  if 
they  would  make  that  use  of  it,"  he  said. 
*'  For  one  that  knows  nothing  your  an- 
swer is  not  altogether  foolish.  Now  tell 
me  what  gods  are  the  most  to  be  feared  ?" 

"It  woidd  seem  to  me — perhaps  be- 
cause I  am  a  woman — that  it  is  the  house- 
hold gods  who  are  the  most  to  be  dread- 
ed," she  said  hesitatingly. 

*•  \Vh\'  ?"  he  questioned, 

*'  Because  both  man  and  woman  mtist 
needs  live  in  the  house,  and  if  peace  and 
prosperity  reign  there  the\'  will  have*  ha[>- 


82  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

piness.     If  not,  all  is  confusion  and  ter- 


ror." 


But  as  she  spoke  she  watched  him  fear- 
fully, as  if  half  afraid  he  would  be  of- 
fended. 

But  he  answered :  *'  Your  reason  is 
good,  for  peace  in  the  house  is  indeed  the 
greatest  blessing.  Now  one  more  ques- 
tion and  I  am  done.  Of  all  living  crea- 
tures which  would  you  like  to  be  ?  " 

"  A  man,  Oh,  learned  sir,"  she  said 
promptly,  ''  since  he  alone  of  all  creatures 
has  been  given  wisdom.  And  if  further 
choice  were  given  me  I  would  like  to  be 
the  Viceroy  of  Kiangsi,  since  he  is  the 
wisest  and  best  of  men." 

"Well  said,  well  said,"  he  exclaimed; 
for,  like  some  other  great  ones  of  whom 
we  have  heard,  he  was  not  averse  to  flat- 
tery. And  thus  on  him  did  Tuen  use 
some  of  that  diplomacy  for  which  she  one 
day  would  be  celebrated. 

**You  have  spoken  wisely,"  he  contin- 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  8 


ued,  "  and  if  there  can  be  found  in  Lu 
Chang  one  who  will  teach  you,  by  the 
gods  you  shall  learn  to  read.  I,  the  Vice- 
roy, have  said  it." 

Uttering  many  profuse  thanks  Tuen 
prostrated  herself  before  him,  for  in  this 
land  where  females  were  ofttimes  drowned 
like  kittens  at  their  birth,  or  if  allowed  to 
live,  despised  and  beaten,  sold  as  mere 
chattels,  or  even  killed  if  disobedient  to 
the  husband's  parents,  the  patience  of  the 
Viceroy  was  indeed  marvellous,  and  the 
permission  she  had  wrested  from  him  was 
much  to  be  wondered  at. 

As  soon  as  she  had  left  his  presence 
she  ran  to  find  Wang,  and  throwing  her- 
self in  the  arms  of  this  faithful  friend  she 
sobbed  : 

"  Oh,  Wang,  Wang,  I  am  to  be  taught 
to  read.     The  Viceroy  has  said  it." 

**  Taught  to  read  ? "  Wang  repeated 
blankly. 

*'  Yes,  to  read,"  Tuen  cried.    **  I  begged 


84  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

it  of  him,  and  at  first  he  would  not,  and 
then  he  finally  consented,  and  oh,  Wang, 
I  feel  as  if  I  should  die  for  joy." 

"  I  am  sure  I  don't  know  what  you 
want  to  read  for,"  said  the  puzzled  Wang, 
"but  I  do  know  that  there  is  not  another 
master  in  all  China  who  would  have 
granted  such  a  favor  to  a  slave.  You  are 
a  lucky  girl  to  have  been  bought  by  him, 
for  he  is  the  kindest  man  in  the  land. 
Any  one  else  would  have  beaten  you  for 
asking  such  a  thing.  You  had  better 
pray  to  the  gods  every  day  that  you  shall 
always  belong  to  him." 


B 


CHAPTER    IX. 

Y  the  time  the  festival  of    Pai-shan 
came — the  day  when  all  go  to  wor- 
ship at  the  graves  of    their  ancestors— 
Tuen  had  already  commenced  to  struggle 
with    the  queer,   sprawling   hieroglyphics 
that  fill  the  Chinese  books,  and  she  was 
so  proud  and  happy  that  she  could  think 
of  nothing  else.     The  Viceroy  was  going 
in   state  to  honor  his  forefathers,  riding 
in  his  sedan,  and  followed  by  a  long  reti- 
nue of   servants,  and  Tuen,  Wang    and 
Ta-ta   had    been    allowed,    as   a    special 
favor,  to  join  this  procession.     As  they 
left  the  yamen  Tuen  was  telling  them  of 
the  wonderful  characters  she  was  trying 
to  understand,  and  of  the  delight  of  learn- 
incr  about  them,  and  Ta-ta  laughed  good- 
naturedly. 

85 


86  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

'*  It  was  very  silly  of  you  to  beg  such  a 
favor  of  the  Viceroy,"  she  said.  "  Who 
ever  heard  of  a  woman  who  could  read, 
or  who  even  wanted  to  ?  Why  did  you 
not  ask  him  for  a  silk  dress,  or  for  a  pair 
of  gold  ear-rings  ?  That  would  have 
been  much  more  sensible." 

"  I  did  n't  want  anything  in  the  world 
but  to  be  learned  like  a  man,"  Tuen  an- 
nounced, "  and  I  will  be  too,  even  if  I 
am  a  woman  " ;  and  she  set  her  lips  firmly 
together. 

"  I  never  knew  of  a  girl  being  allowed 
to  study  before,"  Wang  said.  *'  The 
Viceroy  is  truly  a  wonderful  man." 

"  Women  are  not  born  to  be  happy  any 
where,"  Ta-ta  remarked.  "  Tuen  will  find 
that  out  some  day." 

'*  Well,  the  consolation  is  that  we  don't 
have  to  be  women  always,"  Wang  said 
philosophically.  "  Buddha  said  that  we 
who,  while  on  earth,  were  obedient  to  our 
husband  and  his  relatives,    would    some 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  87 

day  come  back  to  earth  a  man.  That  is 
somethinor  to  look  forward  to.  Yester- 
day  I  went  to  the  temple  and  carried  the 
money  I  had  saved  and  gave  it  to  the 
priest,  that  he  might  pay  the  toll  for  me 
at  the  bridge  that  leads  to  the  spirit-land  ; 
and  I  also  gave  1:  im  the  fee  for  the  ferry- 
man, and  a  lot  of  cash  for  that  greedy 
one  that  rows  the  dragon-boat  across  the 
lake  of  blood.  Now  I  have  nothing  to 
fear." 

''  No,  you  can  kill  yourself  any  day," 
Ta-ta  whispered  enviously. 

While  they  talked  they  were  making 
their  way  through  the  babbling  throng  that 
filled  the  streets,  and  as  they  were  but  sel- 
dom allowed  to  leave  the  Viceroy's  resi- 
dence they  were  looking  about  them  with 
the  keenest  pleasure.  Hanging  from  the 
low  tiled  roofs  of  the  houses  were  branches 
of  willow%  the  mourning  tree  of  the  dead, 
and  a  vast  concourse  of  people  in  holiday 
attire  w^ere  either  going  or  returning  from 


88  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

the  "  worship  at  the  hills  "  ;  for  on  this  day 
all  the  population  steal  a  few  hours  from 
the  daily  routine  of  drudgery,  and  go  to 
render  homage  to  the  spirits  of  their 
dead.  Their  gods  were  shadowy  and 
unreal,  perhaps  had  no  existence  save  in 
the  imagination  of  the  priests,  but  their 
own  dear  ones  they  knew  lived  and  went 
away.  Why  might  not  their  souls,  wan- 
dering in  the  unknown,  look  back  to  earth 
and  listen  to  the  prayers  of  mortals  ?  So 
they  reasoned,  and  this  was  why  that  on 
this  sunny  spring  day  the  hills  where  the 
dead  slept  were  thronged  with  the  living. 
An  endless  procession  passed  in  and  out 
of  the  gates  of  the  city,  the  square  battle- 
ments and  watch-towers  were  deserted, 
and  upon  the  great  stone  bridge  that 
spanned  the  water,  the  throng  surged  ever 
backward  and  forward.  Little  groups 
were  gathered  around  many  of  the  graves, 
busily  sweeping  and  repairing  them  ;  the 
smoke  of  incense  curled  upward  on  every 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  89 

side,  and  prayers  arose,  not  for  the  repose 
of  the  dead,  but  for  the  welfare  of  the 
living  ;  while  strips  of  gay  paper  flutter- 
ing around  some  of  the  headstones  told 
that  here  the  usual  rites  had  been  per- 
formed and  the  family  had  gone  home 
to  enjoy  the  social  feast  with  which  the 
holiday  closes.  Before  one  of  the  tombs, 
far  more  pretentious  than  any  of  its  neigh- 
bors, the  Viceroy  stopped  and  alighted 
from  his  sedan. 

His  forefather  had  evidently  been  some 
high  mandarin,  for  a  stone  wall  sur- 
rounded a  large,  horse-shoe  shaped  en- 
closure, and  in  this  teeming  land,  where 
earth  was  so  precious  that  only  a  little 
portion  could  be  allotted  to  a  few  of  the 
living,  it  was  a  sign  of  great  wealth  to 
have  so  much  space  for  an  ancestor. 
Standino:  at  the  entrance    to   this  sfrave 

o  o 

were  two  stone  horses,  saddled  and  bri- 
dled, ready  to  bear  the  spirit  on  its  jour- 
ney   in    the    other   world,    and    a    little 


90  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress- 

distance  away  two  rudely  sculptured  lions 
kept  watch  over  the  tomb.  At  the  end 
of  the  enclosure  and  opposite  the  en- 
trance, was  the  tablet  bearing  the  name 
of  the  departed,  and  before  this  the  Vice- 
roy knelt  down.  First  he  offered  the 
five-fold  sacrifice,  consisting  of  a  fowl,  a 
fish,  a  pig,  a  bird,  and  a  goose,  with  many 
prostrations  and  petitions,  then  he  placed 
before  the  tablet  five  plates  filled  with 
fruit,  and  five  cups  of  wine.  This  done, 
he  lit  the  incense  sticks,  and  knockine 
his  head  nine  times  upon  the  ground, 
prayed  for  the  three  great  blessings, — 
riches,  honor,  and  long  life.  Rising,  he 
fastened  long  streamers  of  red  and  white 
paper  at  the  back  of  the  wall,  holding  it 
in  place  by  the  customary  three  pieces  of 
turf,  and  again  entered  his  sedan.  His 
servants  meanwhile  carefully  packed  the 
offerings  of  fruit,  meats,  and  wine  in  the 
baskets  to  take  home,  for  they  were  far 
too  frugal  to  permit  such  things  to  go  to 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  91 

waste,  and  that  very  night  these  same 
provisions  would  be  served  at  the  Vice- 
roy's table. 

As  the  high  magistrate  and  his  attend- 
ants wended  their  way  home,  Ta-ta  who 
had  been  quiet  for  some  time,  turned  to 
Tuen  with  a  friendly  piece  of  advice. 

''  You  had  better  put  all  this  nonsense 
about  books,  and  being  learned  like  a 
man,  out  of  your  little  head,  else  no  man 
will  want  to  marry  you,  and  you  must 
remember  that  you  are  getting  old  enough 
now  to  think  about  having  a  mother-in- 
law." 

''  I  don't  want  one  ever,"  Tuen  de- 
clared. I  would  much  rather  just  belong 
to  the  Viceroy  always." 

-  How  stupid  you  are,"  Ta-ta  said  im- 
patiently. ''  Of  course  you  must  be  sold 
to  someone.  I  never  knew  a  woman 
over  fifteen  who  did  not  have  a  mother- 
in-law." 

But  Tuen  cried  pleadingly  to  Wang : 


92  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

''  Oh,  don't  let  them  sell  me  again. 
Indeed,  indeed,  I  don't  want  to  have  any 
other  master." 

"  I  am  afraid  someone  will  see  you 
and  want  to  marry  you,  and  if  they 
offer  him  a  good  price  the  Viceroy  will 
not  be  a  fool  and  refuse  it,"  Wang  said 
sadly.  "  You  are  getting  to  be  a  woman 
now,  and  you  are  good  to  look  at,  and 
for  that  reason  someone  is  sure  to  want 
you." 

This  prospect  filled  Tuen  w^ith  dismay, 
and  that  night  she  cried  herself  to  sleep. 


CHAPTER  X. 

BUT  as  months  went  by  and  she  heard 
of  no   one   having  offered   to  pur- 
chase   her,    Tuen    forgot    her   fears,   and 
came  to  think  that  she  would  always  live 
in  the  yamen.      It  was  now  winter,   and 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
vast     Empire    preparations    were    being 
made  for  the  annual  holiday.     Before  the 
festal  day  arrived,  however,  the  home  of 
the  Viceroy  became  a  house  of  mourning, 
for  the  little  tung-li  lay  dead.     Despite 
prayers  and  amulets,  the  propitious  words 
of  the  soothsayers,  and  the  conjurations 
of  the  priests,   "he  had  gone  to  wander 
among    the    genii,"    still    wearing   locked 
around  his  neck  the  string  of  coins  it  had 
been  fondly  hoped  would  lock  him  fast  to 

93 


94  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

life.  Clad  in  shimmering  satin  and  em- 
broidered crepe,  a  fan  in  one  hand  and  in 
the  other  a  printed  prayer,  he  lay  all  cold 
and  calm  upon  the  floor,  and  in  the  roof 
above  him  was  a  gaping  hole  made  to 
allow  the  spirits  inhabiting  his  body  to 
escape,  and  through  it  had  crept  a  wan- 
dering moonbeam  that  fell  upon  his  placid 
face,  and  gave  him  the  look  of  one  who 
slept.  Near  him  was  a  table  filled  with 
every  delicacy  to  tempt  the  palate,  that 
they  who  watched  and  mourned  might 
also  feast,  and  upon  it  burned  incense  and 
candles,  filling  the  room  with  pungent 
smoke.  In  an  adjoining  room  twelve 
priests  bowed  before  an  image  made  of 
brass,  the  god  of  the  lower  regions.  This 
mocking  thing  they  supplicated  squatted 
solemnly  upon  a  golden  cloth  strewn  with 
rice,  while  the  kneeling  priests  chanted 
prayers  for  the  dead,  and  beat  upon  drums 
and  cymbals,  while  above  it  all  could  be 
heard  the  shrill  wailing  of  the  women  wait- 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  95 

ing  in  the  corridors.  The  Viceroy,  clothed 
in  spotless  white  (for  that  is  the  mourning 
color  of  the  country),  sat  beside  the  body 
of  his  son,  his  expression  one  of  profound 
grief.  He  had  been  so  proud  of  this  boy, 
his  son  and  heir,  and  he  had  fondly 
thought  that  when  he  went  away  to  join 
his  fathers,  Tung-li  would  be  left  to  tend 
his  grave  and  worship  his  tablet.  Now 
he  was  left  alone  in  his  old  age. 

So,  amid  the  noise  made  by  the  priests, 
and  the  shrill  cries  of  the  women,  and  the 
silent  grief  of  the  Viceroy,  the  night 
passed,  and  in  the  time  that  intervened 
between  this  and  the  last  funeral  rites, 
geomancers  were  kept  busy  finding  a  suit- 
able resting  place  for  the  body,  lest  it  be 
burled  in  an  unlucky  spot. 

Although  it  is  not  customary  to  have 
any  elaborate  ceremonies  when  children 
die,  the  Viceroy  had  determined  that 
Tung-li  should  be  buried  with  all  the 
honors   befitting    his  high  rank,   and  for 


96  Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

that  reason  the  funeral  procession  was  a 
most  imposing  one. 

The  body  was  put  in  a  coffin  of  thick 
wood,  ornamented  with  many  gilt  figures, 
and  then  placed  in  a  richly  decked  gilt 
pavilion,  covered  with  a  canopy  of  bright 
colored  silk.  Thus,  as  if  going  to  a  festi- 
val was  Tung-li  borne  through  the  city 
and  to  the  hills  beyond.  Before  him 
went  an  attendant,  scattering  paper 
money  along  the  way  to  buy  the  good 
will  of  the  wicked  spirits  who  are  doomed 
to  wander  over  the  earth  and  make  mis- 
chief wherever  they  go,  and  behind  him 
came  the  bearers  of  gay  standards,  flutter- 
ing banners  and  gilded  figures,  and  the 
sacrifices  to  be  offered  at  the  grave. 
These  were  in  turn  followed  by  a  long 
line  of  priests,  while  close  behind  the 
coffin  were  the  mourners,  clothed  in  white, 
their  cries  of  anguish  rising  above  the 
clamorous  discord  of  the  gongs  and  cym- 
bals, while  every  now  and  then  could  be 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  97 

heard  the  reverberating  notes  of  the 
drum  as  three  loud  taps  were  sounded 
upon  It. 

Human  nature  is  the  same  wherever 
you  find  it — in  the  East  and  in  the  West 
— and  love  for  those  who  are  near  to  us 
is  strong  in  the  breast  of  high  and  low, 
the  ignorant  and  degraded  and  the 
w^ealthy  aristocrat.  No  matter  what  the 
nationality  of  the  Viceroy  he  was  a  father, 
and  as  he  saw  his  only  child  given  to  the 
earth,  amid  the  firing  of  crackers,  the 
sound  of  music  and  the  smoke  of  incense, 
bitter  was  his  sorrow.  Then  libations 
were  poured  out,  and  clothes,  houses, 
money,  and  horses,  made  of  paper,  were 
burned,  that  Tung-li  might  not  be  lacking 
in  worldly  goods  in  that  strange  land  to 
which  he  had  gone,  for  they  believed  that 
by  a  kind  of  miracle  these  paper  articles 
would  in  the  spirit  world  become  in  very 
truth  the  things  they  represented,  and  they 
wanted  to  supply  Tung-li  with  many  pos- 


98  Tiien,  Slave  and  Empress. 

sessions.  Having  thus  started  him  on  his 
long  journey  with  all  the  wealth  and  pomp 
befitting  the  son  of  a  great  Viceroy,  they 
left  him. 

That  night  Tuen  carried  tea  to  her 
master,  and  despite  his  sorrow  he  noticed 
how  fair  she  was,  and  with  what  swiftness 
and  grace  she  moved  about.  It  did  not 
escape  him,  either,  that  her  eyes  were  red 
from  weeping,  for  she  had  dearly  loved 
the  sedate  little  Tung-li,  and  of  his  dead 
son  he  now  spoke  to  her.  Her  answers 
greatly  surprised  him,  and  after  he  had 
talked  to  her  for  several  minutes  an  idea 
suddenly  came  to  him,  and  he  arose  and 
went  to  find  his  wife. 

"  Dismiss  your  maids.  I  wish  to  speak 
to  you,"  he  said  to  that  astonished  lady, 
who  sat  weeping  in  helpless  sorrow. 
Wonderinor  at  his  manner,  and  at  what 
she  saw  in  his  face,  she  complied,  and  as 
soon  as  they  were  alone  he  commenced 
to  talk  of  Tuen. 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.  99 

"  She  is  a  remarkable  o:irl,"  he  an- 
nounced  decisively,  "  and  I  have  come  to 
tell  you  that  I  have  resolved  to  adopt  her." 

She  uttered  a  cry  of  amazement. 

**  Adopt  Tuen  ?"  she  breathed. 

''Yes,  why  not?"  he  answered.  "She 
is  beautiful  and  modest,  and  her  apt  re- 
plies are  marvellous.  We  are  childless, 
and  she  will  be  an  ornament  to  any  home. 
I  will  arrange  a  g^reat  marriage  for  her." 

**  Oh,  very  well,"  his  wife  said  indiffer- 
ently. "  I  never  savv'  anything  at  all  un- 
usual about  her,  but  I  suppose  she  is  as 
desirable  as  any  other  girl."  Here  she 
commenced  to  weep  again,  as  she  thought 
of  the  dead  Tuno-.ll.  and  even  the  \^ice- 
roy  said  with  a  sigh  : 

''  Of  course  she  can  never  take  the 
place  of  a  son,  for  she  will  soon  marry  and 
belong  to  her  husband's  parents,  but  still 
she  is  intelligent  and  pretty.  We  can 
take  her  now,  and  later  I  will  look  around 
for  the  son  of  a  relative  to  adopt." 


lOO        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

''  I  don't  want  any  one  but  my  own 
Tung-li,"  sobbed  the  poor  lady  of  the 
Viceroy  ;  and  because  he  disliked  to  see  a 
woman  cry,  and  always  tried  to  escape 
from  any  domestic  unpleasantness,  the 
Viceroy  went  back  to  his  audience  hall  in 
haste,  and  sent  for  Tuen. 

When  he  told  her  that  she  was  hence- 
forth to  be  his  daughter,  the  little  slave 
girl  of  Hunan  could  scarcely  believe  her 
ears,  and  stood  staring  at  him  as  one 
stricken  dumb.  All  at  once  she  under- 
stood this  great  good  fortune  that  had 
come  to  her,  and  with  a  cry  of  joy  she 
threw  herself  at  his  feet,  and  embraced 
him  ecstatically. 

*'Oh,  I  will  try  to  be  so  good — Oh,  I 
will  try  to  be  so  good,"  she  said  over 
and  over ;  and  she  sobbed  for  very 
gladness. 

The  Viceroy  pulled  himself  away  from 
her  feeling  distinctly  aggrieved,  for  it 
seemed  that  he  could  not  escape  weeping 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         loi 

females— the    one    thing    he    particularly 
detested. 

But  when  Tuen  stood  up  before  him, 
her  eyes  shining  all  the  brighter  for 
her  tears,  and  her  face  radiant  with  joy, 
he    foreave    her  for    her   sobs,  and  said 

o 

pompously  : 

"You  must  be  worthy  of  me,  Tuen. 
You  have  proved  that  even  a  female  can 
by  her  own  industry'  exalt  herself,  and 
now  I  shall  expect  much  of  you." 

And  Tuen  told  herself  that  he  should 
not  be  disappointed. 


CHAPTER  XL 

NOW  followed  the  happiest  time  Tuen 
had  ever  known,  and  as  the  daugrh- 
ter  of  the  Viceroy  she  became  at  once  a 
person  of  importance.  It  was  such  a  new, 
such  a  delightful  sensation  to  be  waited 
on  and  noticed  and  obeyed  by  the  slaves 
that  it  took  her  a  good  many  weeks  to 
get  used  to  it  all.  The  Viceroy  in  turn, 
was  well  pleased  with  his  new  daughter, 
and  although  she  was  very  fair,  with  ten- 
der, melting  almond  eyes,  and  midnight 
tresses,  it  was  not  her  beauty  so  much  as 
her  wisdom  that  delighted  him  ;  and  when 
he  looked  at  her  he  recalled  the  words  of 
Niu  Tsang :  *' Although  she  is  fair  to 
look  upon,  and  strong  with  the  strength 
of  youth,   yet  is  her   intellect,  that  lamp 

I02 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         103 

that  so  seldom  Illumes  the  head  of  woman, 
her  greatest  possession." 

"  He  spoke  truly,"  the  \^iceroy  would 
murmur,  ''  and  only  the  son  of  a  mandarin 
shall  have  her  in  marriage." 

And  then  he  would  sis^h  to  think  that 
even  now  it  was  time  to  betroth  her.  But 
while  he  pondered  over  these  things  he 
received  news  from  PekinQf  that  com- 
pletely  banished  all  thoughts  of  Tuen 
from  his  mind,  and  forever  chanored  the 
current  of  her  life.  Now  the  \^iceroy 
stood  high  in  imperial  favor  on  account 
of  many  valuable  services,  and  for  his  zeal 
in  checking  the  .famous  rebellion,  and  he 
had  several  times  been  advanced  in  rank 
by  his  sovereign.  But  he  had  just  re- 
ceived tidings  that  a  new  and  a  hicrher 
decoration  had  been  conferred  upon  him, 
and  he  sought  for  some  costly  gift  to  lay 
at  the  feet  of  that  august  and  jealous  ruler 
who  calls  himself  the  Son  of  Heaven. 
For  every  mark  of   favor  received  from 


I04        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

the  Emperor's  hands  the  subject  is  ex- 
pected to  send  some  valuable  present  as  a 
token  of  gratitude,  and  the  Viceroy  had 
already  presented  so  many  gifts  that  he 
was  at  loss  what  to  send.  He  searched 
the  province  for  some  treasure  that  would 
be  worthy  the  acceptance  of  a  monarch, 
and  had  brought  before  him  all  the  rich- 
est wares  of  the  land,  but  he  found  noth- 
ing to  satisfy  his  fastidious  taste.  Beset 
by  these  perplexities,  he  determined  to 
give  a  great  feast  and  invite  all  the  learned 
and  influential  men  of  the  city,  with  the 
hope  that  some  of  them  would  know  of  a 
curio  or  article  of  vertu  that  he  might  be 
able  to  procure.  Accordingly  crimson 
tickets  were  sent  out  to  all  the  high  offi- 
cials of  Lu  Chang,  requesting  them  to 
bestow  "  the  illumination  of  their  pres- 
ence"  on  a  given  night  the  following 
week,  and  a  theatrical  troupe  was  engaged 
to  give  a  performance  on  that  occasion, 
for  with  the  Chinese  the  theatre  may  al- 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.        105 

most  be  considered  the  national  amuse- 
ment, so  great  Is  the  fondness  of  all  classes 
for  this  form  of  diversion. 

When  the  appointed  evening  arrived  a 
distinguished  assembly  was   gathered    in 
the  audience  hall  at  the  Viceroy's  yamen, 
at   one  end  of  which   a  stage  had  been 
erected.     The  Viceroy  and  his  guest  of 
the  highest  rank — the  governor-general  of 
a  neighboring  province — occupied  a  table 
placed  on    a   slightly   elevated   platform, 
while  the  other  guests  were  arranged  in 
two  rows  on  each  side  of  the  room,  seated 
two  at  a  table.     When  all  had  assembled, 
the  Viceroy  stood  up  and  drank  the  health 
of  his  friends  from  a  small  gilt  cup  shaped 
like  a  Grecian  urn,  then  amid  the  sound 
of   gong  and    bell    the    first    course    was 
placed  upon  the  tables,  and  the  feast  com- 
menced.   First,  salted  relishes  were  served 
in  dainty  porcelain  saucers,  and  then  came 
that  greatest  delicacy  to  Chinese  epicures, 
bird-nest  soup,  accompanied  by  pigeons' 


io6         Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

eggs  and  soy,  while  hot  wine  was  poured 
for  all  from  silver  tankards  in  the 
hands  of  obsequious  servants.  These 
were  followed  by  fish,  game,  and  poultry, 
cut  fine  and  made  into  stews,  which 
the  company  very  dexterously  managed 
by  means  of  their  silver-tipped  ivory  chop- 
sticks. 

In  the  meantime  the  players,  clad  in 
brilliant  costumes,  tell  the  story  of  a  beau- 
tiful wife  of  a  former  Emperor,  who  was 
demanded  as  a  tribute  by  the  Tartar 
Khan.  The  Emperor  is  in  despair,  for 
his  country  is  weak  and  not  prepared  to 
go  to  war  with  this  formidable  chieftain, 
and  so  dearly  does  he  love  his  charming 
w'lie  that  he  cannot  consent  to  part  with 
her.  At  last  he  is  forced  to  yield.  The 
music  swells  louder  and  louder  as  the 
moment  arrives  for  the  last  farewell  be- 
tween the  Emperor  and  his  beloved.  The 
guests  look  up  from  the  bowls  of  shark- 
fins  before    them    and    nod    approvingly, 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         107 

and  even  the  Viceroy's   countenance  ex- 
presses his  pleasure  at  the  scene. 

Now  a  savory  dish  composed  of  the 
sinews  of  deer  was  brought  in,  followed 
by  bowls  of  rice.  The  music  sinks  to  a 
low,  reverberating  wail  as  the  Princess 
tragically  exclaims  : 

"What  place  is  this?" 

For  she  is  on  her  way  to  the  home  of 
the  hostile  Khan — the  price  of  peace. 

And  when  the  Khan  had  answered  her  : 

"  It  is  the  river  of  the  Black  Dragon, 
the  frontier  between  the  Tartar  bounda- 
ries and  those  of  China.  This  southern 
shore  is  the  Emperor's — on  the  northern 
side  commences  our  Tartar  dominion," 
the  Princess  said  calmly  : 

''  Great  King,  I  take  a  cup  of  wine  and 
pour  a  libation  towards  the  south,  a  final 
adieu  to  the  Emperor." 

And  as  she  finishes  this  rite  she  adds  : 

"  Sovereign  of  Han,  this  life  Is  finished, 
— I  await  thee  in  the  next." 


io8        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

With  these  words  upon  her  lips  she 
casts  herself  in  the  dark,  turgid  waters  of 
the  Black  Dragon,  and  is  never  seen  again 
by  mortal  eyes. 

As  this  climax  is  reached  the  rice  is  re- 
moved and  the  tables  strewn  with  flowers, 
and  from  amid  this  mas$  of  loveliness  peep 
out  sweetmeats  and  confections  of  every 
(  kind,  intermixed  with  the  fragrant  citron 
'  or  Buddha's  hand,  of  which,  while  growing, 
the  skin  is  cut  into  strips,  each  forming 
an  end  like  fingers,  while  golden  oranges, 
grapes,  and  monstrous,  yet  unpalatable, 
pears  strew  the  board.  This  course  com- 
pleted the  banquet,  and  the  servants  came 
in  bringing  tea,  while  on  the  stage  the 
Emperor  wailed  the  loss  of  his  beautiful 
love  in  agonizing  strains. 

As  they  chatted  merrily  and  sipped  their 
tea,  the  Viceroy  broached  the  subject  that 
lay  nearest  his  heart,  but  he  found  to  his 
dismay  that  none  of  his  friends  were  able 
to  help  him.     One    and   all   they  shook 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         109 

their  heads  after  he  had  enumerated 
the  choice  articles  he  had  already  ex- 
amined. 

''There  is  nothing  richer  in  the  Em- 
pire," the  governor-general  said  decisively. 

"But  it  will  be  an  insult  to  my  Em- 
peror to  send  him  a  gift  that  is  excelled 
by  something  I  have  already  presented," 
the  Viceroy  cried  despairingly.  "  Can  no 
one  help  me  out  of  this  unfortunate  diffi- 
culty ?  " 

All  were  for  a  time  silent,  then  Wo 
Tincr,  a  mandarin  and  a  man  of  much 
wisdom,  said  sententiously  : 

''The  Viceroy  of  Kiang-si  is  said  to 
have  lately  found  a  lovely  daughter.  Let 
him  draw  his  inspiration  from  the  play  we 
have  just  seen." 

The  Viceroy  looked  at  him  in  puzzled 
wonder,  and  as  the  meaning  of  the  strange 
words  dawned  upon  him  he  exclaimed  in 
amazement : 

"  Send  Tuen  to  the  Emperor  !  " 


no         Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

Wo  Ting  made  a  sign  of  assent,  and 
someone  else  remarked  : 

*'  Why  not  ?  'T  is  no  small  honor  to  be 
the  handmaid  of  the  Son  of  Heaven,  the 
greatest  king  upon  earth.  Find  yourself 
a  son,  and  let  the  girl  go." 

''  I  do  not  wish  to  part  with  her,  not 
just  yet,"  the  Viceroy  said  slowly. 

"  She  will  go  away  sooner  or  later  to 
the  household  of  her  husband,"  the  gov- 
ernor-general told  him.  "  After  all  it  is 
the  same  thing,  for  in  either  case  she  is 
lost  to  you.  It  is  only  a  son  who  is  a  joy 
forever." 

"  True  !  True  !  "  cried  a  dozen  voices. 
"  What  matters  a  girl  ?  " 

"  I  will  consider  the  question,  my 
friends,"  the  Viceroy  said.  ''  She  is  in- 
deed beautiful  and  wise  and  good — my 
dearest  treasure — and  a  fitting  recompense 
for  any  honor.  She  is  worthy  the  accept- 
ance of  the  greatest  of  monarchs." 

So  saying  he  turned  again  to  the  stage 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         1 1 1 

and  listened  to  the  lamentations  of  the 
grief-stricken  Emperor,  and  the  fate  of 
Tuen  was  not  further  discussed  that  night. 

But  Wo  Ting  remarked  in  a  low  tone 
to  his  neighbor : 

*'  I  should  very  much  like  to  see  that 
girl.  It  is  whispered  that  he  bought  her 
for  a  slave,  but  that  she  turned  out  to  be 
so  uncommonly  wise  that  he  found  a 
teacher  for  her,  and  she  has  been  learning 
to  read.  After  he  found  what  a  wonder 
she  was,  since  she  was  also  pretty,  he 
adopted  her.  He  Is  a  very  rich  man,  and 
doubtless  he  would  provide  well  for  her 
If  he  gave  her  in  marriage.  I  have  a  son 
about  her  age,  and  I  had  been  thinking  of 
sending  one  of  the  match-makers  to  ar- 
range matters  with  him,  and  get  her  for 
my  son.  But  of  course  if  she  goes  to  the 
Emperor  that  settles  it.  If  he  does  not 
send  her — and  I  think  he  is  loath  to  start 
her  on  such  a  long  journey — I  may  decide 
to  take    her  for  my  daughter-in-law.     It 


112         Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

would  n't  be  a  bad  plan,"  and  he  scratched 
his  chin  reflectively. 

But  Tuen  was  sweetly  sleeping,  and 
dreaming  of  the  day  when  she  would  be  a 
wise  woman  who  could  read,  and  she  did 
not  know  that  her  fate  hunof  in  the  bal- 
ance.  And  even  if  she  had  known  she 
would  have  been  powerless  to  change  it. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

IT  was  the  afternoon  after  the  feast. 
The  Viceroy  sipped  his  tea  medita- 
tively in  his  favorite  court,  and  occasionally 
fanned  himself  in  a  mechanical  way,  but 
his  thoughts  were  evidently  elsewhere. 
The  goldfinch  above  his  head  hopped 
about  and  chirped  loudly  to  him,  begging 
for  some  rice,  but  he  heeded  it  not,  and  a 
little  lizard  crept  across  the  walk,  eyeing 
him  furtively,  and  then  scampered  away 
amone  the  trasses  on  the  bank  of  the  lake, 
but  it  need  not  have  feared  him  to-day. 
Drip,  drip,  drip,  fell  the  drops  from  the 
fountain  in  a  minor  monotone,  and  in 
the  calm  water  of  the  lake  the  fish 
darted  like  flames  of  fire,  and  poppy 
petals    dropped    silently    to    the   ground. 

"3 


114        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

Behind  the  Viceroy's  chair  a  slave  stood 
dozing. 

"  Tell  my  daughter  to  come  here,"  his 
master  said  suddenly  ;  and  the  slave  eyed 
him  stupidly  for  a  moment,  and  then 
hastened  off  to  do  his  bidding.  But 
when  Tuen  came  he  did  not  speak  for 
some  time,  and  seemed  casting  about  in 
his  mind  for  the  best  way  to  begin. 
Then  he  cleared  his  throat  impor- 
tantly. 

**  I  have  something  to  say  to  you,"  he 
remarked,  watching  her  closely  from  the 
corners  of  his  eyes. 

She  waited  but  did  not  answer,  and  he 
went  on  : 

"  I  have  a  new  honor  in  store  for  you." 
Having  delivered  himself  of  this  an- 
nouncement he  examined  his  long,  pointed 
nails  critically,  and  satisfied  that  they 
were  scrupulous  in  appearance,  he  com- 
menced to  drum  idly  on  the  table.  All 
this  time  Tuen  was  standing   breathless 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.        115 

before  him,  fearing  something,  yet   she 

knew  not  what. 

''You  see  His  Most  Mighty  and  Gra- 
cious Majesty,  the  Ever  Wise  and  Ever 
Perfect  Son  of  Heaven  has  lately  conde- 
scended to  honor  my  unworthy  self,"  he 
volunteered  affably,  and  all  the  capitals 
were  expressed  in  his  voice  as  he  spoke 
of  his  sovereign.  "  I  have  sought  every- 
where in  the  province  for  a  gift  to  send 
in  return  that  would  be  worthy  of  his 
acceptance,  and  last  night  I  gave  a  feast 
that  I  might  ask  of  others,  perhaps  wiser 
than  I  am.  Then  it  was  that  the  learned 
Wo  Ting  suggested  that  I  should  give 
^'021^  to  him — an  admirable  idea,  Tuen." 

Poor  Tuen  had  been  listening  in  won- 
dering horror,  and  she  now  gave  a  gasp, 
but  he  did  not  appear  to  notice  this. 

"You  will  get  ready  to  go  to  Peking 
to  be  a  handmaid  to  our  mighty  king." 
With  wild  cries  Tuen  knelt  before  the 
Viceroy,   the   tears  streaming  down   her 


ii6         Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

face.  "Oh  do  not  send  me  away,"  she 
pleaded.  ''  I  will  be  so  good — I  will 
work  for  you  as  a  slave  all  my  life — only 
let  me  stay  here." 

The  Viceroy  arched  his  brows. 

"  What  a  fuss  to  make  about  nothing  ! " 
he  commented.  '*  You  ought  to  be  proud 
to  be  sent.  I  fear  after  all  you  are  more 
foolish  than  other  women." 

But  Tuen  did  not  care  how  silly  he 
thought  her,  if  she  could  only  beg  him 
out  of  this  awful  plan.  Just  when  she 
was  so  happy  must  it  all  come  to  an  end  ? 
Was  she  again  to  be  sent  forth,  alone  and 
friendless,  among  strangers  ?  Oh,  it  was 
too  horrible  !  And  it  seemed  so  useless  ! 
She  was  satisfied,  why  not  let  her  stay 
where  she  was  ?  Some  of  this  she  man- 
aged to  tell  the  Viceroy  between  her  sobs, 
but  he  listened  impatiently. 

"  There  is  no  cause  for  such  sorrow,  I 
tell  you,"  he  repeated.  "  Great  is  the 
Emperor,  and   his   riches  like   the  ever- 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         117 

flowing  waters.  There  is  no  end  to  them. 
His  palace,  I  have  heard,  is  of  gold  and 
gems ;  there  is  nothing  like  it  in  all  the 
world." 

But  this  picture  brought  no  consolation 
to  Tuen.  She  only  moaned  and  cried 
and  begged  to  stay  where  she  was. 

"Is  it  that  you  are  angry  with  me?" 
she  asked.  ''  Do  I  no  longer  please  you, 
that  you  want  to  get  rid  of  me  ?  " 

'*  No,  Tuen,"  he  answered,  "  it  is  only 
that  I  do  not  know  what  else  to  send  my 
Emperor,  and  I  dare  not  risk  his  dis- 
pleasure. But  neither  will  he  thank  me 
to  send  him  an  unwilling  girl,  so  dry  your 

>> 
eyes. 

"Then  it  would  be  a  great  favor  to 
you  if  I  went  and  looked  happy?"  she 
inquired  in  a  curiously  strained  voice. 

"  So  I  have  told  you,"  he  said  wearily, 
for  he  detested  scenes  most  cordially, 
and  was  anxious  to  bring  this  one  to  a 
close. 


ii8        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

Then  it  was  that  the  Httle  slave  girl 
showed  the  greatness  of  her  nature,  for  she 
wiped  away  her  tears  and  rose  to  her  feet. 
Standing    before    him    she    said    slowly: 

*'  You  have  been  very  good  to  me.  I 
have  not  forgotten  that.  If  I  can  now 
do  you  a  kindness,  and  thus  repay  you 
for  all  you  have  done  for  me — I  will  go, 
but  I  go  with  a  heavy  heart." 

''Well,  it  is  settled,  and  you  have  acted 
as  a  dutiful  daughter  should,"  he  said, 
drawing  a  long  breath  of  relief.  *'  I  will 
at  once  make  ready  for  your  departure." 

''Must  I  go  so  soon?"  she  said  plead- 
ingly. 

"  At  once,"  he  answered  decisively. 

Again  the  tears  welled  up  in  "the  eyes 
of  Tuen,  and  try  as  she  would  she  could 
not  keep  them  back : 

"  Oh,  it  is  so  hard  to  leave  all  my  dear 
friends  ! "  she  moaned.  "  And  Wang,  who 
has  been  so  good  to  me — "  She  could 
go  no  further. 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         119 

"  Wang  can  go  with  you,"  he  said. 
"You  must  have  servants,  as  befits  your 
rank,  for  you  are  now  the  daughter  of 
the  \'iceroy  of  Kiang-si." 

"  Oh,  I  am  so  glad  I  can  have  Wang  I " 
she  cried,  and  this  was  the  only  gleam  of 
joy  in  the  blackness  of  her  despair. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

TUEN  went  about  as  one  In  a  dream 
after  her  interview  with  the  Vice- 
roy, but  she  uttered  no  complaint.  She 
had  decided  to  go  wiUingly,  even  cheer- 
fully, on  account  of  the  many  favors  she 
had  received  from  her  benefactor,  since 
she  knew  that  he  wished  her  to  go,  and 
day  by  day  she  nerved  herself  to  the 
ordeal.  Knowing  that  she  was  helpless, 
she  accepted  her  fate  in  silence,  and  grad- 
ually she  became  more  resigned.  Girls 
in  China  are  not  allowed  to  have  a  voice 
in  such  matters, — that  she  knew,  and 
after  all  she  had  always  been  most  fortu- 
nate. Then  she  had  heard  that  the  faith- 
ful Wang  would  accompany  her,  and  that 
Ta-ta,  whom  she  loved  dearly,  would  go 

120 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         121 

as  her  maid,  and  she  was  pleased  with 
this  arrangement.  She  had  learned,  too, 
that  she  was  to  go  in  great  state.  A 
barge  was  even  now  being  fitted  up  for 
her  convenience,  and  she  would  have  not 
only  Wang  and  Ta-ta,  but  other  servants 
to  wait  upon  her,  and  the  blind  old  story- 
teller, Szu,  would  be  sent  along  that  he 
might  beguile  the  weariness  of  the  jour- 
ney, which  would  last  three  months.  The 
entire  trip  would  be  made  by  water,  first 
through  unimportant  streams,  then  into 
the  Yang-tse-klang,  and  on  through  the 
Grand  Canal. 

The  time  that  intervened  before  her 
departure  was  filled  with  bustle  and  con- 
fusion, and  she  hardly  had  a  moment  to 
think  about  the  future,  even  if  she  had 
wanted  to.  There  were  many  things  to 
be  arranged  when  one  went  on  such  a 
long  trip,  and  Tuen  must  also  be  pro- 
vided with  handsome  costumes,  suitable 
to  be  worn  at  court.     She  could  not  re- 


122        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

press  exclamations  of  delight  when  she 
saw  all  the  beautiful  things  that  were 
designed  for  her,  and  she  commenced  to 
feel  that  she  had  not  been  very  badly 
treated  by  the  gods. 

The  morning  appointed  for  her  to  set 
out  dawned  fair  and  pleasant,  but  all 
night  she  had  lain  awake  and  thought 
about  her  journey,  for  she  had  been  too 
excited  to  sleep.  When  she  was  ready 
to  leave  and  there  was  no  excuse  for 
longer  delaying,  all  the  servants  of  the 
yamen  pressed  around  her  to  say  good- 
bye, and  the  Viceroy  and  his  wife  looked 
very  sad,  for  in  their  way  they  were  quite 
fond  of  their  pretty  adopted  daughter. 
Tuen  was  as  one  stunned  by  a  sudden 
blow.  She  neither  wept  nor  said  a  word, 
but  when  the  last  adieus  were  over  and 
she  was  safely  ensconced  in  her  little 
apartment  on  the  barge,  she  covered  her 
head  with  the  silken  cover  of  her  couch 
and   wailed  aloud.      But   one   cannot  cry 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         123 

always,   and  after  the  first  paroxysm  of 
grief  had  passed  she  wiped  her  eyes,  that 
were   now  red  and  swollen,   and   looked 
curiously  about  her.     There  was  nothing 
interesting  in  the  narrow  room,  with  its 
cot  and  bamboo  pillow,— the  only  other 
furniture  a  low  stool  and  many  cushions, 
— but  from  without  came  noises  of  every 
description,  forming  an  indescribable  din. 
Rising   from    the    floor   where    she    had 
thrown    herself,    she    pressed    her    face 
against  the  tiny  window  of  painted  gauze, 
and    gazed  with   eager   interest    at    the 
scene  on  the  busy  water.     What  a  great, 
hurrying  world  it  was  !     And  how  full  of 
struggling,  shouting   people  !     She  even 
experienced  a  thrill  of  enjoyment  of  her 
novel  surroundings.     Barges,  junks,  pleas- 
ure-boats, passage-boats,  floating  homes, 
freight-boats,  sculls    and    river    crafts    of 
every  description  passed  each  other  in  an 
endless  procession.     Women  in    flowing 
blue  robes,  their  hair  adorned  with  flowers 


124        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

and  glittering  pins,  rowed  many  of  the 
heavy  boats,  their  armlets  and  anklets 
clinking  musically  with  every  motion. 
Now  a  tankia  glided  by,  with  only  a 
bamboo  canopy  as  protection  from  rain 
and  sun  and  cold,  the  mother  at  the  helm, 
while  around  her  clustered  happy  chil- 
dren who  had  never  known  any  other 
home  than  this  little  '' Ggg  house."  For 
so  great  is  the  population  of  China  that 
many  families  live  in  boats  upon  the 
rivers,  and  have  but  little  knowledge  of 
mother  earth,  as  they  but  seldom  feel  the 
ground  beneath  their  feet.  Tuen  looked 
with  delight  at  the  many  phases  of  life 
that  surged  around  her  as  unceasingly  as 
the  ripples  of  the  water,  and  then  passed 
away.  Now  she  shuddered  as  a  clumsy 
lighter,  used  for  loading  and  unloading 
coal,  bore  down  upon  her  on  its  way  to 
the  distant  ocean,  and  again  she  laughed 
to  see  the  dainty  flower-boat  with  its 
intricate    wood-carving,    bright    lanterns, 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         125 

flags  and  strips  of  gay-colored  paper  float- 
ing from  the  side,  dart  past  her.  When 
Wang  entered  she  turned  to  her  with 
her  eyes  shining  with  excitement. 

"  Did  you  ever  dream  there  were  so 
many  boats  and  so  many  people  in  the 
world,  Wang  ?  "  she  cried. 

Wang  smiled  and  shook  her  head. 

"  You  had  better  come  outside  with  me, 
where  you  can  see  it  all,"  she  said,  and  to 
this  Tuen  gladly  assented. 

When  on  deck,  protected  from  the 
glare  of  the  sun  by  the  bamboo  covering, 
she  clapped  her  hands  ecstatically,  and 
ran  about  the  boat,  peering  out  first  on 
one  side  and  then  on  the  other.  From 
the  room  within,  it  had  all  worn  a  misty 
look,  as  if  it  were  some  panorama  passing 
before  her,  but  now  the  full  reality  and 
intensity  of  it  burst  upon  her,  and  she 
straightway  forgot  that  she  was  Tuen, 
forgot  the  little  details,  the  hopes, 
fears,   sorrows,   and  memories  that  were 


126        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

part  of  her  own  existence  alone,  and  only 
felt  that  she  was  one  of  this  vast  multi- 
tude, and  her  identity  seemed  to  merge 
into  and  be  lost  in  the  mass  of  humanity 
that  surrounded  her.  And  once  having 
done  this,  she  forgot  to  grieve. 

Some  children  in  a  tankia  close  to  her 
smiled  at  her  gravely,  while  the  father 
hung  paper  prayers  upon  the  prow,  and 
the  mother,  with  strong,  even  strokes, 
guided  the  boat  toward  the  shallows. 
The  clamor  of  shrill  voices,  so  intermin- 
gled that  hardly  a  word  was  distinguish- 
able, formed  a  not  unpleasing  medley  of 
sounds,  and  it  rang  Into  Tuen's  ears  until 
she  was  fairly  deafened. 

''  Is  there  no  danger  that  where  there 
are  so  many  crafts  some  may  be  run  into 
and  sunk  ? "  she  finally  asked,  as  the  boats 
thickened  and  there  seemed  not  an  inch 
of  water  left. 

"  The  rowers  are  skilful.  I  have  heard 
that    accidents    do    not    often    happen," 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         127 

Wang  said,  but  scarce  had  she  finished 
speaking,  when  a  war-junk  that  was  com- 
ing in  an  opposite  direction,  bore  down 
upon  them.  Threatening  cannons  peered 
from  the  port-holes,  and  on  its  gaudy  red 
and  yellow  sides  were  shields  upon  which 
were  painted  fierce  tigers,  more  terrible  to 
look  at  than  any  god  to  whom  she  had 
ever  prayed.  She  caught  her  breath 
quickly,  and  clung  to  Wang. 

*' We  shall  be  killed!"  she  cried,  and 
Wano-  was  so  terror-stricken  that  she 
could  not  answer.  The  sailors  on  Tuen's 
boat  uttered  loud,  warning  shouts,  and 
pulled  away  lustily,  and  the  men  on  the 
war-junk,  seeing  that  the  barge  was  di- 
rectly in  their  path,  rowed  valiantly.  But 
the  water  was  so  crowded  that  there  was 
very  little  room  to  turn,  and  for  an  in- 
stant, there  seemed  no  chance  of  escape. 
Just  when  destruction  appeared  certain, 
and  Wanor  covered  her  face  to  shut  out 
the    awful    sieht,    the    cumbrous    vessel 


128        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

veered  to  one  side,  and  they  were  left 
unharmed, 

"  It  was  a  narrow  escape,"  the  man  at 
the  helm  of  Tuen's  boat  said,  nodding 
toward  the  junk  that  now  lay  on  their 
left.  ''  I  thought  we  should  all  be  killed," 
and  the  rowers  hurled  loud  imprecations 
at  the  junk,  and  Ta-ta  shook  her  fist  at 
them,  and  while  engaged  in  this,  also 
thanked  the  gods  for  her  safety. 

'*  It  is  time  for  rice,"  Wang  said,  after 
they  had  watched  the  junk  well  on  its 
way.     ''  Let  us  go  in  now." 

Tuen  was  very  glad  to  follow  her,  for 
her  heart  was  still  beating  quickly,  and 
her  cheeks  were  pale.  The  danger 
through  which  they  had  passed  had,  for  a 
time  at  least,  robbed  river-life  of  its  fasci- 
nation for  her. 

That  night  she  dreamed  of  boats,  boats, 
boats,  as  she  heard  the  innumerable 
stream  of  them  go  gliding  by,  and  the 
great,    round   eyes   on   the   prows    of    all 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         129 

seemed  to  be  watching  her  angrily 
through  the  darkness.      She  drew  a  lono- 

o 

sigh  of  relief  when  she  awoke  and  found 
that  they  had  at  last  stopped,  and  as  she 
listened,  afraid  to  go  to  sleep  again,  the 
incessant  noise  gradually  hushed,  and  all 
became  as  still  as  in  the  yamen  of  the 
Viceroy. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  barge  that  bore  Tuen  to  Peking 
proceeded  slowly  on  Its  way,  for 
why  should  one  economize  time  or  labor 
in  a  country  where  there  are  more  hands 
than  work  for  them  to  do  ?  The  novelty 
of  the  trip  kept  her  well  amused,  and  she 
cared  not  how  long  they  drifted  idly  on, 
for  the  present  was  very  satisfactory  to 
her.  After  they  had  passed  through  the 
beautiful  Lake  Poyana,  sleeping  like  an  in- 
land sea  cradled  by  the  encircling  moun- 
tains, they  entered  the  vast  Yang-tse-kiang, 
that  ever  ebbed  and  flowed  in  calm 
strength,  as  it  swept  on  to  where  it  was 
lost  in  the  vaster  waters  of  the  ocean. 
No  w^onder  Tuen  was  enchanted  with  the 
sights  that  greeted  her.  Around  her  was 
130 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         131 

ever  the  same  endless  throng,  in  its  strug- 
gle for  existence,  and  if  she  tired  of  this 
epitome  of  human  life,  she  had  but  to 
raise  her  eyes  to  the  hills  beyond,  dotted 
with  the  innumerable  graves  of  the  dead, 
to  see  the  end  of  it  all,  though,  as  she  was 
not  a  philosopher,  she  doubtless  did  not 
think  about  it  in  this  way.  Graceful  pa- 
godas, with  bells  and  glittering  ornaments 
swinging  from  the  corners  of  the  curving, 
many-storied  roofs,  stood  out  here  and 
there  like  solitary  beacons,  although  they 
lit  no  way.  Along  the  river  banks  w^ere 
fertile  plains,  converted  into  regularly  laid 
out  fields  and  gardens,  that  for  thousands 
of  years  had  yielded  a  full  harvest  from 
their  inexhaustible  richness,  and  numerous 
cottages,  some  with  tiled  roofs  shining  in 
the  sunlight,  others  with  only  a  covering 
of  straw,  diversified  the  landscape.  Some- 
times they  threaded  their  way  among  bar- 
ren islands  that  rose  like  mammoths  of 
the  deep,  and  again  passed  walled  cities 


132        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

where  the  river  lapped  hungrily  against 
its  boundaries,  or  they  loitered  beside  lit- 
tle white  towns  embowered  in  green.  Oft- 
times  Szu  whiled  away  the  hours  by  telling 
her  the  glorious  history  of  this,  her  native 
land,  for  he  loved  to  dilate  on  the  impor- 
tance of  the  Flowery  Kingdom.  In  fact 
he  believed  it  to  be  the  garden  spot  of 
the  world,  and  as  he  had  never  been  any- 
where else,  we  must  pardon  his  vanity. 
''  We  are  the  greatest  and  wisest  nation 
in  the  world,"  he  would  tell  Tuen  pom- 
pously. "  We  are  the  most  learned  and 
prosperous  of  all  people,  and  we  have  the 
oldest  and  the  hio-hest  civilization.  We 
have  borrowed  no  foreign  inventions  or 
arts,  we  have  not  asked  them  to  frame  the 
laws  to  govern  us  nor  to  solve  our  diffi- 
culties. All  we  have  ever  asked  of  any  of 
them  is — let  us  alone.  We  are  not  like 
the  barbarians — always  quarrelling  and 
fighting,  and  running  about  the  earth. 
History  tells  that  we  have  always  been  a 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 


oo 


civilized,  peaceful  race.  Our  language  is 
our  own,  our  literature  has  not  sought  for 
themes  or  inspiration  In  other  climes,  our 
institutions  are  the  outcome  of  our  own 
wisdom,  and  our  land  provides  everything 
that  is  necessary  for  her  children.  We 
are  the  one  independent  nation.  Confu- 
cius, the  wisest  of  all  men,  left  us  our  code 
of  morals,  and  the  Son  of  Heaven  rules 
over  us.  Our  kiiwdom  contains  one  third 
of  the  population  of  the  whole  earth,  and 
nearly  every  one  of  the  inventions  that 
these  barbarians  think  they  discovered 
they  find  have  been  In  use  by  us  long  be- 
fore they  were  a  nation.  Who  was  it  that 
discovered  the  compass  ?  We  did.  Who 
first  made  porcelain  ?  We  did.  Who 
made  paper  first  ?  We  did.  These  bar- 
barians who  sail  up  to  our  ports,  with 
great  guns  on  their  vessels,  would  never 
have  had  any  gun-powder  for  their  guns 
if  It  had  not  been  for  us.  Of  course  since 
you  have  been  learning  to  read  you  have 


134        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

found  out  that  we  it  was  who  invented 
printing,  and  made  it  possible  for  every 
one  to  have  books.  Nowhere  can  be 
found  so  many  and  such  great  cities  as  we 
have,  and  not  only  the  land  but  the 
waters  are  covered  with  our  towns.  I 
wish  we  could  shut  ourselves  off,  as  once 
we  were,  and  never  see  another  barbarian. 
But  alas,  we  cannot,  for  they  cannot  get 
along  without  us." 

Thus  Szu,  puffed  up  with  pride,  in- 
structed Tuen  in  the  facts  of  Chinese 
history,  and  she  drank  in  every  word  he 
said  eagerly.  Truly  it  was  wonderful ! 
And  as  he  perceived  her  intense  interest, 
Szu  talked  more  and  more  of  these  things, 
though  he  omitted  to  tell  her  that  his  na- 
tion was  the  most  egotistical  one  in  all 
the  world,  but  perhaps  he  did  not  know 
this.  Again  he  would  tell  of  the  ancient 
kings,  and  of  the  great  Kublai  Khan,  who 
reigned  in  the  Golden  Age  of  China. 

"Those  were  happy  times,"  he  would 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         135 

say  with  a  sigh.  "  We  will  never  see  the 
like  again.  When  the  New  Year  came 
then  all  his  subjects  gave  him  rich  pres- 
ents, not  only  of  gold  and  silver  and 
precious  stones  and  fine  cloths,  but  also 
five  thousand  camels,  one  hundred  thou- 
sand white  horses,  and  five  thousand  ele- 
phants, covered  with  cloths  of  silk  and 
gold,  and  each  beast  had  on  its  back  a 
box  filled  with  vessels  of  gold  and  silver. 
When  they  passed  before  the  most  holy 
Emperor,  they  formed  the  most  brilliant 
spectacle  ever  seen  by  the  eyes  of  man." 

Tuen  gasped  as  she  tried  to  picture  in 
her  imagination  this  most  gorgeous  sight, 
and  looklnof  at  Szu  with  eves  filled  with 
amazement,  she  asked,  timidly  : 

"  Is  that  all  indeed  the  very  truth  ?" 
"The  truth?"  he  cried,  indignantly. 
"  Do  you  dare  to  question  the  accounts  of 
our  great  historians — you,  a  foolish  girl  ? 
It  has  all  come  down  to  us  just  as  I  have 
related  it  to  you,  and  no  one,  not  even 


136        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

the  barbarians,  have  doubted  it.  If  you 
think  Szu  but  a  romancer,  he  will  remain 
silent." 

"  Oh,  no,  no,"  she  entreated,  "  indeed  I 
did  not  mean  that  !  It  was  so  marvellous 
that  I  would  like  to  hear  more  about  this 
same  great  one." 

Somewhat  pacified,  and  anxious  to  talk 
on  such  an  interesting  subject,  Szu  said  : 

"  Perhaps  you  would  not  believe  it, 
either,  were  I  to  recount  how,  then,  no 
one  in  all  the  land  was  hungry,  and  yet  it 
is  a  fact,  for  the  Kublai  Khan  gave  of  his 
great  wealth  to  his  people.  Whenever 
the  crops  were  injured,  he  demanded  no 
taxes,  and  when  rice  was  scarce,  he  sold 
it  for  one  fourth  the  regular  price  out  of 
his  own  storehouse.  And  if  any  families 
had  no  food  to  eat,  he  caused  provision 
to  be  given  them,  and  rice  was  not  re- 
fused at  court  throughout  the  whole  year 
to  any  that  came  to  beg  for  it.  Think  of 
no  one  ever  starving  to  death  then  !      It 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         137 

was  the  strangest  thing  that  ever  men 
heard  of.  Not  only  did  the  Kublai  Khan 
feed  his  subjects,  but  he  had  countless 
public  looms  that  were  running  all  the 
time,  where  garments  were  woven  and 
given  to  the  poor,  so  that  none  could  say 
that  they  were  hungry  or  cold." 

"  I  would  have  liked  to  be  alive  then," 
Tuen  said,  wistfully,  and  in  this  they  all 
agreed  with  her. 

"  There  has  never  been  such  another 
ruler  in  any  land,"  Szu  told  her.  ''  The 
whole  world  has  heard  of  him,  and  mar- 
velled at  his  greatness  and  his  goodness." 

At  this,  Tuen  sighed,  for  she  had  just 
been  wishing  that  the  august  one  to  whom 
she  went  had  been  rich  and  kind  like  the 
Khan.  But  she  did  not  think  much  about 
him,  for  no  one  could  tell  her  anything, 
and  so  she  could  only  wait. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

ONE  day  when  the  sun  was  hot  and 
she  was  tired,  Tuen  said  to  Szu 
impatiently  : 

"  Don't  you  know  anything  except  about 
the  old  kings  and  their  wars  ?  " 

Now  Szu,  although  he  was  old  and 
blind  and  feeble,  was  well  endowed  with 
tact  and  quickness,  and  after  revolving  the 
question  in  his  mind,  he  answered  gra- 
ciously : 

''  There  are  two  stories  that  I  have  not 
yet  told  you,  and  they  might  be  of  inter- 
est to  you,  since  they  are  of  women,  and 
of  women,  too,  who  dwelt  within  the  For- 
bidden City." 

"  Let  me  hear   them,"  Tuen  said  list- 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.        139 

lessly.  "  I  did  not  know  there  were  any 
stories  about  women.  I  thought  they 
were  all  about  men." 

"There  have  been  females — though 
their  number  is  few — whose  names  the 
bards  have  perpetuated,"  the  old  man 
replied. 

"  You  may  commence,"  Tuen  inter- 
rupted, her  curiosity  aroused. 

Seatinor  himself  on  the  deck  of  the  boat, 
and  foldinof  his  hands,  his  head  thrown 
back  and  his  sightless  eyes  seeming  to 
gaze  before  him,  Szu  began  in  a  monoto- 
nous, sing-song  voice,  that  yet  was  clear 
and  soft  : 

"  It  happened  many  years,  aye,  many 
centuries,  ao^o — this  stranore  event  that  I 
tell  to  you  now  as  but  a  passing  tale.  And 
yet  the  fame  of  this  woman  will  endure 
forever,  though  all  things  else  belonging 
to  that  far-away  time  have  perished.  At 
this  remote  period  of  which  I  speak 
Kaou-tsung,  the  second  Emperor  of  the 


140         Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

Tang  dynasty,  was  seated  upon  the  throne. 
Great  was  the  prosperity  of  the  Empire, 
and  rumors  of  its  glories  and  of  its  won- 
ders spread  to  the  outer  regions,  and  am- 
bassadors came  from  Nepaul,  Persia,  and 
even  from  a  far-away  dominion  called 
Rome,  to  pay  tribute  to  the  Son  of 
Heaven.  He  had  magnificent  palaces 
and  stately  temples,  and  he  numbered  his 
warriors  by  thousands.  Then,  as  it  has 
ever  been,  for  we  are  the  one  nation  fa- 
vored by  the  gods,  we  were  civilized  and 
wise,  and  all  other  people  came  to  learn 
of  us,  even  as  it  Is  to  this  very  day.  Kaou- 
tsung  built  canals  and  cities,  following  the 
example  of  his  illustrious  father,  and  be- 
stowed peace  and  plenty  on  all  his  sub- 
jects, but  still  he  was  not  content.  He 
had  women  from  the  various  provinces  to 
while  away  his  tedious  hours,  but  they 
were  all  alike  stupid  and  silly,  and  he 
found  no  pleasure  with  them. 

''  *  Surely  in  my  kingdom  there  lives  one 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         141 

female  who  combines  both  wisdom  and 
beauty,'  he  exclaimed  one  day,  and  after 
due  deliberation  he  sent  forth  his  minister 
to  seek  for  a  woman  who  was  both  wise 
and  pretty.  When  he  heard  of  the  mis- 
sion entrusted  to  him  the  minister  sighed 
and  shook  his  head. 

"  ^Your  quest  is  vain,' he  told  his  sov- 
ereign. '  There  lives  not  such  a  being. 
All  women  are  but  foolish  creatures,  and 
those  endowed  with  beauty  are  the  most 
foolish  of  all.  They  wear  their  gifts  upon 
the  outside,  and  within  them  there  is 
nauo^ht.' 

"  *  Presume  not  to  argue  with  me,'  Kaou- 
tsung  cried  angrily,  '  but  go  and  do  as  I 
have  commanded.' 

♦'Now,  this  minister  was  most  skilful  with 
the  pencil,  and  the  Emperor  instructed 
him  to  traverse  the  length  and  breadth  of 
his  vast  possessions,  letting  it  be  known 
everywhere  that  he  sought  the  fairest 
and   the   wisest    in    the  land   to   be    the 


142         Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

bride  of  the  king,  and  whenever  he  found 
one  who  appeared  to  possess  these  neces- 
sary qualifications,  he  was  to  make  a  pic- 
ture of  her.  When  his  quest  was  ended, 
he  was  to  return  to  the  court,  bringing 
with  him  these  likenesses  of  the  fair  maid- 
ens of  the  land,  and  the  Emperor  would 
select  the  one  that  pleased  him  best.  But 
when  the  minister  was  gone  he  saw  in  this 
a  chance  to  enrich  himself,  and  as  all 
women  were  desirous  of  being  the  chosen 
one  he  drew  not  any  who  did  not  give 
him  costly  offerings.  The  Emperor,  wait- 
ing in  his  palace,  knew  not  of  this,  and 
was  most  impatient  for  his  return.  In  the 
meantime,  some  one  brought  news  to  the 
court  of  the  surpassing  loveliness  of  a  girl 
named  Woo  How,  who  was  a  daughter  of 
a  cultivator  of  the  soil.  When  he  heard 
the  reports  of  the  wonderful  beauty  of 
this  maiden  the  Emperor  sent  a  courier  in 
great  haste  after  his  minister,  bearing  the 
message  : 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         143 

*'  *  Return  not  without  the  likeness  of 
Woo  How.' 

"  The  minister  forthwith  went  in  search 
of  this  beauteous  one,  and  when  he  found 
her  she  was  fairer  than  any  woman  he 
had  ever  seen,  and  conducted  herself  in  a 
modest  way,  yielding  ready  answers  to  all 
his  questions.  But  alas,  the  father  was 
very  poor,  and  could  not  pay  the  price 
demanded  by  the  mercenary  minister, 
therefore  this  unworthy  servant  of  a  gen- 
erous king  drew  a  picture  of  exceeding 
uellness,  and  under  it  he  wrote  the  name 
of  Woo  How,  for  he  was  determined  that 
no  one  should  be  Empress  who  did  not 
first  buy  his  favor.  At  last  this  schem- 
ing official — ]\Iaou-yen-show  by  name — 
came  back  to  court,  bringing  with  him  a 
collection  of  pictures  of  the  so-called  beau- 
ties of  the  land,  who  had  paid  him  well  to 
be  their  ambassador.  The  Emperor  ex- 
amined them  critically. 

''  'This  one  pleases  me  not.      Her  nose 


144        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

is  too  long/  he  said,  casting  aside  the 
first  one. 

"  *  And  this  one  is  ugly  enough  to  scare 
the  dragon  away/  he  exclaimed  when  he 
saw  the  second. 

"  '  This  one's  mouth  is  all  askew/  was 
his  comment  on  the  third,  and  so  he  ran 
through  the  whole  list,  finding  none  that 
pleased  him. 

"  '  I  might  as  well  send  a  blind  man  to 
pick  out  a  beautiful  female  as  this  stolid 
Maou-yen-show,'  he  cried  angrily,  when 
he  had  finished.  '  Truly  he  knows  not 
the  difference  between  a  woman  and  a 
demon.' 

"  But  the  minister  bowing  obsequiously 
insisted  that  these  were  indeed  the  most 
beautiful  in  the  land. 

''  *  Then  I  want  none  of  them/  his  sov- 
ereign replied,  *  for  an  uglier  lot  I  never 
beheld.' 

"  After  this  Kaou-tsung  made  no  further 
attempt  to  find  himself  a  fitting  bride,  but 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         145 

was  immersed  in  the  affairs  of  state. 
One  day,  however,  as  he  rode  forth,  sur- 
rounded by  his  troops,  to  take  his  annual 
hunt,  he  saw  beside  the  road  a  young 
girl  of  such  wondrous  loveliness  that  he 
could  not  take  his  eyes  from  her  face. 

*' '  Bring  her  to  me,'  he  ordered  his 
attendants,  as  she,  not  knowing  that  it 
was  the  Emperor  and  his  suite,  but  think- 
ing that  it  was  only  some  great  mandarin, 
would  have  passed  on. 

"  When  the  soldiers  approached  her, 
saying  at  the  same  time,  '  The  Emperor 
who  waits  yonder  has  sent  for  you,'  she 
was  greatly  terrified.  Her  face  turned  very 
white,  and  her  knees  trembled  so  that  she 
could  hardly  stand,  for  she  knew  not  what 
was  about  to  befall  her. 

"When  she  had  prostrated  herself  before 
Kaou-tsunof  he  ordered  all  his  attendants 
to  withdraw  to  a  little  distance  and  there 
remain  until  he  summoned  them,  for  he 
wished   to  speak,   unheard  by  others,  to 


146        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

this  fair  maiden.  When  they  were  alone 
he  said  kindly  : 

"  '  Rise,  most  beautiful  one,  for  I  desire 
to  look  at  you.' 

"  Blushing  at  his  words,  she  raised  her 
face  but  remained  upon  her  knees. 

"  '  Verily  the  sun  seemed  hid  when  I  saw 
not  your  eyes,'  Kaou-tsung  continued,  for 
he  was  much  impressed  with  her  beauty. 

**  Seeing  that  she  did  not  speak,  but  only 
blushed  the  more,  he  asked  : 

"  '  What  is  your  name  ?  ' 

**  '  Woo  How,'  she  murmured,  all 
abashed. 

"  '  What ! '  cried  the  astonished  Emper- 
or ;  '  not  Woo  How,  the  daughter  of  one 
Tai-ting  ?  ' 

*'  '  The  very  same,'  she  answered,  not 
knowing  why  he  was  amazed. 

"  '  But  the  picture  Maou-yen-show 
brought  to  me  ?  '  he  questioned,  in  great 
perplexity. 

"  '  Ah,  I  had  not  the  treasures  to  give 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         147 

him   and   he  would  not  make  it,'  she  an- 
swered sadly. 

''  At  this  a  light  suddenly  broke  upon 
Kaou-tsung,  and  he  saw  the  perfidy  of 
the  minister  he  had  trusted. 

''  '  Rise,  most  beautiful  one  in  all  the 
land,'  he  cried  to  her,  '  for  you  shall  be 
the  bride  of  the  Emperor.  At  last  have 
I  found  the  creature  I  sought'  Thus  in 
spite  of  treachery  did  the  gods  bring  it  to 
pass  that  Woo  How  became  the  Empress, 
for  what  Ten  Wang  decrees  must  be,  no 
matter  how  we  strive  against  it." 

"That  v;as  indeed  a  charming  story," 
Tuen  cried  enthusiastically,  as  the  old 
man  paused.  *'  It  is  the  nicest  one  I  ever 
heard." 

''  It  is  not  yet  finished,"  Szu  said 
quickly.  "  It  were  but  a  broken  thread 
if  I  left  it  there." 

"  Oh,  tell  it  all  to  me,"  she  cried 
eagerly.  "  I  would  never  tire  of  listening 
about  her." 


148         Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

Szu  nodded  his  head  complacently  and 
cleared  his  throat.     Then  he  went  on  : 

*'The  happy  Kaou-tsung  forgot  about 
the  hunt,  and  returned  at  once  to  his 
imperial  palace,  carrying  Woo  How  with 
him.  It  was  so  ordained  that  Maou-yen- 
show  was  not  of  the  party  that  attended 
the  Emperor  that  day,  and  knew  nothing 
of  his  meeting  with  Woo  How.  Imme- 
diately upon  his  arrival  at  court  Kaou- 
tsung  gave  the  following  order  : 

"  '  Keeper  of  the  Yellow  Gate,  bring  us 
that  picture  that  we  may  view  it.' 

**  Looking  from  it  to  the  charming  ori- 
ginal before  him  he  exclaimed  feelingly  : 

"  '  Ah,  how  he  has  dimmed  the  purity  of 
the  gem,  bright  as  the  waves  in  autumn  I ' 

"  Then  turning  to  the  attendant  he 
said : 

"  '  Transmit  our  pleasure  to  the  officer 
of  the  guard  to  behead  Maou-yen-show 
and  report  to  us  his  execution.'  " 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

"  'T^HE   rascal,  It  was  just  what  he  de- 
1       served,"  Wang    cried    hotly,   and 
Tuen,  her   eyes    shining  like   stars,    said 
softly  : 

"  It  seems  almost  too  wonderful  to  be 
true." 

*'  Stranger  things  happen  than  have 
ever  been  told,"  Szu  replied.  "The 
affairs  of  life  are  past  finding  out,  and 
who  Ten  Wang  leads  must  follow,  wheth- 
er he  will  or  not." 

"  This  Woo  How  was  very  lucky," 
Tuen  murmured.  ''She  must  have  been 
loved  by  the  gods." 

''  Ah,  I  have  not  yet  done  speaking  of 
her,"  Szu  answered.  ''  Much  yet  re- 
mains." 

149 


150        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

"  How  can  there  be  anything  to  tell 
after  she  was  married?"  Tuen  inquired 
incredulously. 

"  There  comes  the  amazing  part,"  Szu 
acknowledged.  ''  It  happened  just  as  the 
Emperor  had  wished,  that  his  bride 
proved  as  wise  as  she  was  beautiful,  and 
soon  she  was  not  only  beloved,  but  feared 
by  every  one.  In  court  circles  you  will 
find  out  for  yourself  that  an  ounce  of  fear 
is  worth  a  pound  of  love.  When  the 
lovely  Woo  How  discovered  this  truth 
she  became  a  power  In  the  land — but  not 
until  then.  As  she  grew  older  her  beauty 
decreased,  it  is  true,  but  her  power  in- 
creased, and  on  the  death  of  the  Emperor 
it  was  this  same  Woo  How  who  set  aside 
his  lawful  successor  and  became  the  Em- 
press and  sole  ruler  of  this  great  country." 

"  It  is  but  a  play  you  are  repeating  to 
me,"  Tuen  cried  scornfully.  "  It  was  not 
and  could  not  be." 

"  Youth  does  not  know  all  things,"  the 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         151 

old  story-teller  answered  In  an  offended 
tone.  "A  few  gems  of  thought,  a  few 
pearls  of  knowledge  are  reserved  for  age. 
That  is  Its  compensation.  I  have  repeated 
to  you  the  true  account  of  Woo  How. 
That  she  lived  and  reigned  and  died 
Confucius  has  told,  therefore  I  would 
believe  It  though  the  dauQ-hters  of  a  thou- 
sand  \'Iceroys  should  dispute  It." 

"  Then  I  was  mistaken  about  It  being 
only  a  tale  If  you  learned  It  from  the 
Sacred  Books,  Szu,"  Tuen  answered. 
"But  since  I  know  that,  I  like  It  all  the 
better.  Now  let  us  hear  what  else  befell 
this  most  fortunate  one." 

"  Perhaps  It  would  not  Interest  you," 
he  said  somewhat  sullenly.  *'  Sufficient 
be  It  that  beine  of  a  stronor  mind  she  had 
lone  controlled  her  husband,  and  even 
before  his  death  she  It  was  who  In  truth 
ruled  the  land.  When  she  had  seated 
herself  upon  the  throne  she  was  so  well 
versed    In    the   affairs    of   state  that  she 


152         Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

governed  with  much  discretion  and 
abihty." 

Here  the  garrulity  of  the  old  man 
gained  the  mastery  over  his  anger,  and 
he  went  on  in  his  usual  rapid,  animated 
way  : 

"  Great  was  Woo  How  of  the  dynasty 
of  Tang.  She  sent  her  powerful  armies 
out  to  battle,  and  the  enemies  fled  before 
them  like  the  birds  before  the  storm. 
The  proud  Thibetans  ran  like  the  deer, 
leaving  behind  the  unnumbered  dead. 
Thick  fell  the  arrows  around  them  !  Loud 
sounded  the  gongs  of  the  hosts  !  Shrill 
was  the  battle-cry  and  loud  the  shouts  of 
victory  ! 

"  And  none  could  stand  before  the  war- 
riors of  Woo  How.  Their  journey  was 
marked  by  the  flames  of  burning  towns, 
captives  followed  behind  them,  their 
groanings  shaking  the  earth,  when  back 
to  the  court  came  the  army  of  Woo  How. 
Then   she    marshalled    them    again,    and 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         153 

sent  them  forth  against  the  rebellious 
Khitans,  and  again  did  they  return  with 
conquering  footsteps,  bringing  vast  treas- 
ures and  slaves,  that  reached  on,  on,  like 
the  waves  of  the  ocean.  Peace  reigned 
after  this,  and  prosperity  walked  abroad, 
and  after  twenty-two  glorious  years  Woo 
How  drove  the  fairy  chariot  and  went  the 
long  journey." 

When  he  finished  speaking,  Wang  was 
loud  in  her  praises  of  the  pleasing  narra- 
tive, but  Tuen  locked  her  hands  around 
her  knees  and  sat  silent,  looking  out  over 
the  throng  of  boats  around  her.  Szu 
waited  expectantly  for  some  remarks  and 
some  questions  from  her,  but  when  she 
did  not  speak,  he  lit  his  pipe  and  smoked 
away  vigorously. 

The  afternoon  was  now  drawing  to  a 
close.  A  blue  haze  crept  over  the  distant 
landscape  and  smoothed  out  all  ugliness, 
and  made  the  scene  soft  and  pleasing,  and 
even  the  incessant  cries  of  the  boatmen- 


154        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

sounded  less  shrill.  Tuen  got  up  and 
walked  about  on  the  cramped  deck,  for 
she  was  weary  with  long  sitting,  but  she 
was  blind  and  deaf  to  all  that  went  on. 
Wang  was  trying  to  engage  Szu  in  con- 
versation, but  he  only  pulled  his  bamboo 
cap  farther  over  his  staring  eyes,  and  did 
not  answer,  and  finally,  she  gave  up  in 
despair  and  went  within.  After  a  while, 
Tuen  came  back  and,  squatting  down  on 
a  silken  cushion  beside  Szu,  said  : 

"  Could  a  woman  have  done  what  that 
Woo  How  did?" 

He  removed  the  pipe  from  his  mouth, 
and  turned  his  face  toward  her. 

"  The  sages  have  told  you  so,"  he  re- 
plied, shortly. 

'*  I  know  that,"  she  said,  impatiently, 
''  but  what  I  mean  is,  could  It  ever  happen 
again  ?  " 

He  screwed  up  his  mouth,  and  re- 
pressed a  smile. 

"  As  lons"  as  women  are  born  it  could 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         155 

happen,  I  suppose,  and  there  is  as  yet  no 
dearth  of  females." 

''You  are  laughing  at  me!"  she  cried, 
flushing  angrily.  "  I  asked  you  a  civil 
question.  Why  should  you  make  sport 
of  me  ?  " 

Now  he  smiled,  openly,  at  her  evident 
vexation,  but  he  said,  gravely  : 

"  If  you  are  born  great,  you  will  be 
great,  no  matter  if  you  be  man  or  woman, 
no  matter  when  you  live  or  where,  but  the 
great  ones  of  earth  are  few  and  far  be- 
tween. Some  who  were  not  born  great, 
have,  by  hard  work  and  much  patience, 
attained  to  it.  But  a  woman  is  usually  a 
stupid  thing,  and  her  head  is  much  too 
liorht  for  climbinpf." 

"If  she  were  very  wise,  could  she  have 
power,  even  in  the  Forbidden  City  ? " 
Tuen  persisted. 

He  nodded. 

''If  she  were  very  wise,  she  would  have 
power,  it  makes  no  difference  w^here  she 


156        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

lived.  Even  on  a  desert  island  she  would 
have  power  over  the  wild  beasts,  for 
knowledge  is  power  the  world  over.  It 
is  because  females  do  not  possess  it  that 
they  are  weak  and  of  little  repute.  When 
they  become  wise  they  will  rule  the  earth, 
for  a  man  is  but  clay  in  the  hands  of  a 
skilful  woman.  She  pats  him  into  what- 
ever shape  she  wants  him." 

"  I   would  like  to  be  wise  and  great," 
Tuen  said,  with  a  sigh. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

FOR  several  days  after  she  had  listened 
to  the  story  of   Woo    How,   Tuen 
maintained  an  unwonted  gravity,  and  was 
so  absorbed  in  her  own  thoughts  that  she 
paid    but    little     attention    to    anything 
around  her.       "  The  poor  child  is  home- 
sick,"   Wang   muttered,   as   she    watched 
her,  but  the  girl  gave  no  indication  of  the 
cause  of   her   new   mood.       Perhaps    she 
could  not  if  she  had  tried.      Their  prog- 
ress along  the  Yang-tse-Kiang  was   slow, 
and  she  had  much  time   for  meditation. 
There  was  a  certain  sameness  about  the 
scenery,  a  monotony  about  the  river-life, 
and  she  could  almost  fancy  that  it  was  the 
same  people,  passing  and  repassing  every 
day.      Sometimes  she  would  hear  a  boat- 
157 


158        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

man  singing  some  familiar  air  that  would 
carry  her  back  all  the  many  long  miles 
that  separated  her  from  that  other  life, 
that  other  Tuen,  who  w^as  now  almost  a 
stranger  to  her,  and  she  would  uncon- 
sciously  sigh,  but  she  wept  no  more. 
The  mystic  future,  heretofore  a  blank, 
seemed  now  full  of  untold  possibilities, 
and  her  active  mind  drew  many  alluring 
pictures  of  what  it  might  be.  Unknown 
to  herself,  she  was  merging  from  a  dream- 
ing girl  to  a  clear-headed,  determined 
woman,  a  woman  of  a  strong  personality, 
whose  influence  w^ould  be  felt  in  the 
world.  After  all,  it  is  some  mere  chance 
that  holds  a  mirror  before  us  and  shows 
us  what  we  are  and  what  we  might  be, 
and  to  Tuen  this  vision  had  come  before 
it  was  too  late.  From  this  time  she 
w^ould  press  forward  w^ith  that  unfailing 
courage  and  persistence  whose  reward  is 
success.  The  most  diverting  sight  to  her 
was  the  fisherman  with   his   cormorants, 


i 


THE  SAIL  UP  The  RIVER. 


Page  I5Q. 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         159 

and  these  she  never  tired  of  watching. 
With  many  a  hoarse  squawk,  the  well- 
trained  birds  would  dive  for  their  prey, 
vv^hile  their  masters  shouted  cheeringly  at 
them,  and  happy  the  bird  that  came  up 
with  a  fish  in  his  mouth.  He  was  pulled 
into  the  boat,  the  iron  ring  that  had  pre- 
vented him  from  feasting  upon  his  prey  was 
removed  from  his  neck,  and  a  generous 
handful  of  bean-curd  rewarded  his  industry. 
It  was  amusing  to  Tuen  to  see  the  excited 
interest  these  black-winged  birds  betrayed 
in  their  own  performance,  and  with  what 
alacrity  they  went  about  their  task. 

"  See,  Wang,  even  a  bird  can  do  some- 
thing !  "  she  cried,  one  day,  as  they  passed 
a  flock  of  these  unique  fishermen. 

Before  Wang  had  time  to  answer,  there 
was  a  splashing  sound  near  by,  and  to  her 
horror,  Tuen  saw  the  head  of  a  man  ap- 
pear above  the  water  and  then  disappear. 
Although  many  had  witnessed  the  acci- 
dent, and  it  was  now  evident  that  the  man 


i6o        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

could  not  swim,  no  one  betrayed  any  ex- 
citement, or  made  any  move  toward  his 
rescue.  Such  is  the  apathy  manifested  by 
these  strange  people  toward  the  suffering 
of  others — greatly  the  result  of  the  pecu- 
liar laws  of  the  country — that  they  simply 
watched,  with  idle  curiosity,  for  his  reap- 
pearance, with  no  thought  of  offering  suc- 
cor. Tuen  was  always  quick  to  act,  and 
in  this  emergency  her  wits  did  not  desert 
her.  Calling  aloud  to  the  sailors  :  "  Cash 
— many  strings  of  cash — to  the  one  that 
rescues  him,"  she  ran  to  the  side  of  the 
vessel. 

Seeing  that  no  one  moved  she  cried, 
angrily  : 

"  What,  is  the  reward  not  great  enough  ? 
See  this  ring,"  holding  up  a  shining  circlet 
set  with  an  exquisite  stone  ;  *'  this  w^ill  I 
give  to  the  one  who  wnll  save  him." 

At  her  words,  a  lad  who  had  been  lis- 
tening to  her  with  a  wondering  expres- 
sion, as  if  suddenly  dazed,  sprang  quickly 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         i6i 

overboard  and  dived  for  the  drowning 
man.  It  was  so  long  before  he  came  to 
the  surface  that  Tuen,  to  whom  every 
second  seemed  an  hour,  began  to  fear 
that  she  had  been  the  cause  of  a  double 
tragedy,  and  almost  repented  of  her  hasty 
act.  She  gave  a  gasp  of  relief  when  he 
reappeared,  holding  fast  a  struggling  body, 
and  when  they  had  both  been  pulled  into 
her  boat,  she  sank  down,  trembling  vio- 
lently. It  turned  out  that  neither  was 
the  worse  for  his  plunge  beneath  the 
muddy  water,  and  a  sun-bath  would  soon 
remove  all  trace  of  the  accident. 

When  the  rescuer  stood  before  her, 
Tuen  said,  reprovingly  : 

"  You  have  done  well,  but  why  must 
you  be  bought  before  you  would  help  the 
drowning  man  ?  " 

*'  It  is  not  well  to  be  mixed  up  in  such 
a  case,"  was  his  answer.  ''  It  might  have 
been  said  that  it  was  I  who  killed  him, 
and  we  who  are  wise  and  desire  to  live 


1 62        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

long  in  the  land  keep  our  hands  off  our 
neiofhbors." 

She  uttered  an  Impatient  exclamation. 

"  I  do  not  understand  your  reasoning." 

''  Neither  do  the  mandarins,"  he  as- 
sured her,  "  when  we  are  hauled  up  be- 
fore them.  For  that  reason  they  chop 
off  our  heads,  as  that  is  the  easiest  way  of 
settling  the  difficulty.  If  he  had  been 
drowned,  there  would  have  been  a  report 
that  I  had  been  the  cause  of  it,  and  as  he 
could  not  have  thanked  me  for  my  offi- 
ciousness,  and  as  I  could  not  have  proved 
that  he  drowned  by  himself,  since  I  went 
to  help  him "  he  shrugged  his  shoul- 
ders expressively. 

Tuen  knit  her  brows  in  a  puzzled 
frown,  for  she  knew  nothing  about  the 
law,  but  she  said,  indifferently  : 

**  Well,  it  does  not  matter,  since  the 
man  is  still  alive.  Here  is  the  ring  I  prom- 
ised you,  and  the  cash  shall  be  counted 
out  at  once.     Wang,  go  with  him." 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         163 

But  the  boy  stood  staring  at  her,  as  if 
loath  to  leave,  and  such  unusual  lack  of 
appreciation  of  cash  struck  Tuen  as  mar- 
vellous. What  a  strange  creature  he  was 
not  to  be  in  a  hurry  for  his  money  !  She 
looked  at  him  attentively,  and  she  saw 
that  he  was  short  and  very  slender,  with  a 
bright,  intelligent  face,  but  his  water- 
soaked  garments  were  of  the  coarse  blue 
cloth  worn  by  the  lower  class,  and  his  oc- 
cupation was  evidently  that  of  a  common 
sailor.  Still  looking  at  him,  she  said, 
slowly  : 

"  Take  the  ring,  and  perhaps  sometime 
it  will  serve  you  well,  for  none  can  tell 
what  may  be." 

The  boy  bowed  gravely,  still  apparently 
fascinated  by  her  youth  and  beauty. 
Perhaps  it  was  the  admiration  she  read  in 
his  face,  perhaps  but  an  impulse  that 
caused  Tuen  to  ask  abruptly  : 

'•  What  Is  your  name  ?  " 

*'  Chang-ll,"  he  answered,  with  another 


164         Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

bow,  for  he  had  evidently  become  Im- 
pressed with  the  superiority  of  this  young 
crirl. 

"You  may  go,"  she  said,  with  sudden 
dignity,  waving  her  hand  in  dismissal.  "  I 
will  remember  It." 

The  boy  turned  reluctantly  away,  and 
as  he  did  so,  he  did  not  place  the  ring 
upon  his  finger,  but  hid  it  in  his  bosom. 
And  when  he  heard  that  this  lovely  crea- 
ture was  the  daughter  of  a  Viceroy  who 
went  as  a  present  to  the  Emperor,  he 
wondered  at  her  graciousness,  and  care- 
fully treasured  the  ring,  although  he  was 
offered  much  money  for  it,  and  he  was 
very  poor. 

And  one  day,  many  years  after,  when  a 
proclamation  was  issued,  commanding  one 
Chang-li,  who  had  been  given  a  ring  as  a 
reward  for  rescuing  a  drowning  man  from 
the  river,  to  come  to  court  and  present 
this  ring,  he  had  cause  to  be  glad  that  he 
had  treasured  it. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

THE    calm    monotony   of    Tuen's  life 
continued    uninterrupted   after    the 
episode    with    the     sailor.       She    would 
talk  with   Wang  for  hours,   of  the  kind 
friends  she  had  left  in  the  Viceroy's  ya- 
men,  and  again  of  that  secluded  court  to 
which  she  went,  concerning  which  many 
marvellous  stories  were  told  throughout 
the  land  ;   and  at  other  times  she  would 
sit  spellbound  for  half  a  day,  listening  to 
the   long-spun-out    stories    of   blind  Szu. 
They  were   now  in  the   Imperial   Canal, 
that  stupendous  monument  of  man's  in- 
genuity, for  on  account  of  the  work  and 
the  time  required  to  complete  them,  it  and 
the  Great  Wall  stand  unrivalled  by  any 
effort  of   man   in  any  other  part  of  the 
165 


1 66        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

world.  The  waters  of  the  canal  were 
clearer  than  those  of  the  great  river  they 
had  left,  but  there  was  the  same  press  of 
boats,  their  number  greatly  augmented  by 
the  many  grain-junks  that  bear  the  trib- 
ute of  rice  to  Peking.  It  was  also  a  thrill- 
ing experience  to  Tuen  to  see  the  boats 
pass  the  sluices,  where  the  waters  raged 
as  if  waiting  for  something  to  suck  down 
into  their  turbulent  depths.  The  small 
boats  darted  through  the  openings  with- 
out hindrance,  but  the  larger  ones  must 
get  through  by  a  tedious  and  somewhat 
dangerous  process,  and  often  it  would 
make  Tuen  shudder  to  watch  them.  The 
cumbrous  barges  would  first  be  dragged 
forward  slowly,  by  means  of  ropes  at- 
tached to  large  windlasses  and  worked 
from  the  bank,  while  against  the  sides  of 
the  pier  were  arranged  cushions  of  rope  to 
lighten  any  shock  received.  Thus  were 
the  boats  carefully  let  over,  so  that  they 
could  proceed  on  their  way.      When  they 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         167 

reached  the  temple  of  the  Dragon  King, 
who  is  the  special  ruler  of  the  waters,  the 
loud  firing  of  crackers  came  from  all  the 
boats,  while  libations  were  poured  out, 
and  many  strings  of  gilt  paper  burned  in 
honor  of  this  terrible  god  of  the  waters. 
Tuen,  who  was  by  nature  most  devout, 
and  stood  in  wholesome  fear  of  the  gods, 
took  great  pleasure  in  these  ceremonies, 
and  lit  incense  sticks  until  the  huge  porce- 
lain bowl  she  had  selected  for  this  purpose 
was  filled  with  ashes.  Satisfied  with  her 
devotions,  she  made  herself  comfortable 
on  many  cushions  and  sent  for  Szu  to  at- 
tend her  at  once.  When  he  had  seated 
himself,  and  she  w^aited  for  him  to  begin, 
he  pursed  up  his  mouth  reflectively,  and 
then  smiled.  Perhaps  because  still  some- 
what offended  by  her  doubts  of  the  truth- 
fulness of  the  narrative  of  Woo  How,  or 
perchance  because  he  wished  her  to  know 
that  few  women  had  been  both  wise  and 
good,  he  said  in  a  half-scornful  way  ; 


1 68         Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

"  There  is  another  female  whose  name 
IS  written  in  history.  Would  you  like  to 
hear  of  her  ?  " 

''  Very  much,"  Tuen  answered,  quickly. 
"Wang,  put  him  in  that  shady  corner, 
where  the  sun  will  not  touch  him,  and 
Ta-ta,  if  you  can  remain  quiet,  you  too 
may  stay  and  listen." 

"  No  one  else  has  any  chance  to  talk 
when  Szu  is  around,"  Ta-ta  erumbled. 

The  old  story-teller  turned  his  face  tow- 
ard her,  and  asked,  scornfully  : 

"  Who  would  listen  to  the  babble  of  a 
woman  ?  None  but  a  fool,  if  there  were 
others  talking." 

"  I  am  waiting  on  you,"  Tuen  inter- 
posed, knowing  by  experience  that  when 
Szu  and  Ta-ta  commenced  an  interchange 
of  courtesies,  the  tongues  of  both  were 
loosed  in  a  startling  manner. 

Szu  cleared  his  throat  impressively,  and 
began  his  narrative  by  saying  : 

"There  are   no  stories  worth  the  tell- 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         169 

ing  save  those  found  In  the  books  of  the 
sages,  for  it  is  only  the  ancients  who 
possessed  all  goodness  and  learning. 
Therefore  when  we  of  this  later  day  wish 
to  know  anything  we  must  turn  to  them. 
They  have  left  us  all  that  is  necessary  for 
us  to  know,  and  their  maxims  are  the 
perfect  rule  of  life." 

Having  delivered  himself  of  this  pream- 
ble, he  continued  : 

"To-day  will  I  tell  you  the  story  of 
Ta-ke  the  wife  of  Chow,  In  proof  that 
one  woman  can  ruin  a  nation.  It  Is  said 
that  she  was  beautiful,  and  certain  it  is 
that  the  Emperor  loved  her  well,  but  it 
is,  alas  !  true  that  her  heart  was  base.  He 
built  for  her  a  palace,  more  beautiful 
than  any  ever  seen  before.  It  was  all 
of  gold  and  silver  and  ivory,  and  the 
roof  was  bright  as  the  sun.  He  placed 
within  it  rich  carvings,  and  porcelains  of 
queerest  shapes,  and  the  most  wonderful 
flowers  in  all  the  earth.     And  those  who 


170        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

made  the  works  of  art  to  adorn  her  palace 
were  killed,  that  the  secret  might  die 
with  them.  And  women  worked  from 
moon  to  moon,  embroidering  the  hang- 
ings for  this  stately  home  erected  to 
please  the  fancy  of  Ta-ke,  and  the  looms 
throughout  the  Empire  were  busy  weav- 
ing rich  stuffs  for  her  apparel.  The 
choice  fruits  of  the  land  were  brought 
to  tempt  her  palate,  the  daintiest  dishes 
served  on  golden  platters  were  put  before 
her,  and  the  sound  of  music  was  never 
hushed  in  the  palace.  With  all  these 
things  to  give  her  happiness,  this,  the 
most  favored  of  females,  was  not  satisfied, 
and  her  cruel  nature  would  not  be  lulled 
to  sleep.  She  loved  to  see  the  torture 
applied  to  those  who  had  done  no  crime, 
and  she  laughed  and  turned  away  from 
the  prayers  that  were  addressed  to  her 
by  the  poor  and  the  oppressed  of  the 
kingdom.  And  Chow,  because  he  lis- 
tened to  her,  was  likewise  cruel  and  vile. 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         171 

What  can  the  people  hope  when  they 
have  such  rulers  ?  They  could  only 
endure  and  wait.  At  last  the  venerable 
uncle  of  this  misguided  Emperor  spoke 
boldly  to  him  of  his  evil  ways,  that  he, 
being  warned,  might  not  continue  in  his 
baseness,  and  he  told  him  how  the  sub- 
jects cried  out  in  their  just  anger  against 
him.  Very  wroth  was  Chow  with  his 
aged  relative,  and,  going  to  Ta-ke,  he 
repeated  to  her  the  words  of  reproof  to 
which  he  had  been  forced  to  listen. 
When  he  had  finished  she  only  laughed 
in  a  mocking  way. 

"  'True  he  is  wondrous  wise,' she  cried. 
'  His  heart  must  be  made  in  a  different 
pattern  from  that  of  his  countr}^men,  to 
hold  so  much  knowledge.  Methinks  I 
should  like  to  have  it  cut  from  his  body 
that  I  might  gaze  upon  it  and  see  where- 
in the  heart  of  a  sage  differs  from  that 
of  other  men.' 

"  '  And  you  shall  see  it  before  the  sun 


172        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

sets,'  the  besotted  sovereign  cried,  and 
turning  to  an  attendant  he  gave  orders 
that  at  once  the  heart  of  this  good  man 
should  be  brought  to  Ta-ke.  These  and 
many  other  wicked  things  she  did,  until 
the  people  scarce  could  breathe,  so  full 
were  they  of  hate  of  her.  Then  a  deliv- 
erer was  found,  and  the  brave  Woo 
Wang  came  to  save  the  country.  With 
the  noise  of  drum,  and  amid  the  swift- 
falling  arrows  that  carried  death  where'er 
they  fell,  he  marched  on  the  resplendent 
capital  of  Chow,  and  the  down-trodden 
people  ran  forward  to  welcome  him  and 
gladly  followed  him,  until  his  hosts  were 
far-extending  as  the  clouds.  When 
Chow  heard  this  he  went  out  to  mar- 
shal his  armies  that  he  might  repulse 
these  valiant  men,  but  not  one  was  found 
to  wield  the  bow  and  arrow  in  behalf  of 
his  Emperor,  for  all  were  making  ready 
to  greet  the  good  Woo  Wang.  Already 
he    heard    the    tramp    of   the    oncoming 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         173 

throng  and  the  victorious  shouting  of  the 
warriors,  and  knew  his  doom  had  come, 
for  none  would  strike  a  blow  to  save 
this  tyrant.  Quickly  he  went  to  the 
inner  room  of  his  palace,  arrayed  himself 
in  his  most  magnificent  apparel,  and 
donned  his  tunic  of  golden  brocade,  as  If 
to  give  audience  to  some  mighty  prince, 
and  making  himself  a  throne  of  his  most 
costly  possessions  he  mounted  it,  and 
with  his  own  hand  touched  It  with  a 
torch.  So  perished  Chow,  and  thus  was 
destro^^d  that  most  magnificent  palace, 
the  w^onder  of  the  land.  Ta-ke  watched 
him  calmly  as  he  made  these  final  prep- 
arations, and  she  shed  no  tears,  for  her 
heart  was  busy  forming  a  plan  where 
by  she  might  save  herself  from  the 
wrath  of  Woo  Wan  or.  When  she  saw 
the  flames  burst  forth,  she  ran  with  all 
the  haste  that  terror  lends  away  from  the 
fatal  spot,  and  even  as  she  ran  she  met 
the  great  Woo  Wang   coming  with  his 


1 74        Tiien,  Slave  and  Empress. 

soldiers  to  take  possession  of  the  palace, 
and  she  cast  herself  at  his  feet. 

"  '  It  is  the  hated  Empress,'  the  people 
cried  angrily,  groaning  as  they  spoke,  and 
when  he  heard  this  Woo  Wang  waited 
not,  but  with  his  own  hand  severed  the 
head  of  the  base  Ta-ke  from  her  body, 
that  she  might  not  longer  live  to  curse 
the  land  ;  and  all  the  multitude  raised  a 
loud  shout  of  joy." 

"That's  a  very  ugly  tale,"  Ta-ta  ex- 
claimed, stifling  a  yawn  as  she  spoke. 
''  It  was  nothing  but  kill — kill— kill." 

"You  gave  us  the  best  first,"  Wang 
said,  as  she  rose  to  go,  but  Tuen  made 
no  comment  of  any  kind.  Side  by  side 
she  stored  these  two  stories  in  her  mind, 
and  never  did  she  forget  them. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Stalely  her  person,  tall  and  fair, 
Clad  in  her  robes  embroidered  and  plain 
Fingers  as  softest  buds  that  grow, 
Skin  as  an  unguent  firm  and  white, 
Neck  as  the  tree  worm's  breed. 
Mantis  front  and  the  silk  moth's  brow, 
Dimples  playing  in  witching  sjnile, 
Beautiful  eyes,  so  dark  and  bright  1 
Stately  in  person,  proud  and  free, 
Screened  by  her  plumes,  then  to  court  comes  she. 

Chinese  Song. 

ALL  things,  even  a  journey  from  Lu 
Chang  to  Peking,  must  end  some 
day,  and  Tuen's  heart  was  leaping  wildly, 
when  after  the  long,  tedious  months  upon 
the  water  she  at  last  found  herself  seated 
in  a  sedan,  entering  the  great  outer  wall 
of  the  capital  city.  Mechanically  she 
kept  repeating  Szu's  parting  words  :  ''  A 
wise  man  adapts  himself  to  circumstances 
as  water  shapes  itself  to  the  vessel  that 
175 


176         Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

contains  it,"  but  she  merely  did  this  be- 
cause she  must  do  something  to  keep  her 
courage  up,  and  not  because  she  found 
any  wisdom  or  any  consolation  in  the 
proverb. 

As  in  all  places  in  China  she  saw  a 
multitude  of  people  about  her,  through 
which  the  chair  bearers  made  their  way 
with  loud  cries  of  Lai  I  Lai  I  (Clear 
the  way  !  Clear  the  way  !)  Now  they 
met  some  high  mandarin,  surrounded  by 
numerous  attendants,  who  looked  haugh- 
tily out  from  his  sedan  window  at  the 
mass  of  humanity  about  him,  and  next 
would  come  a  bride  in  her  gilded  chair, 
hung  with  garlands  of  flowers,  while  be- 
hind her  followed  relations,  attendants 
and  servants  bearing  the  wedding  gifts, 
and  beating  loud  tom-toms,  and  above  the 
sound  of  kettle-drum  and  fire-crackers 
resounded  the  wild  wailinor  of  the  bride 
who  went  to  the  husband  she  had  never 
seen.       Elaborately    carved    portals,    on 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         177 

whose  top  the  dragon  writhed  in  many  a 
curve,  spanned  the  wide  streets  ;  stores 
filled  w^ith  tempting  wares  opened  be- 
fore the  passers-by,  their  tall  signs  gay 
with  bright-colored  letters  and  hung  with 
fluttering  flags ;  and  quaint  little  houses, 
painted  in  blue  and  green  and  gold,  almost 
toppled  over  each  other  in  the  struggle 
for  space.  The  streets  were  the  home  of 
a  mighty  throng.  The  Mohammedan, 
conspicuous  in  his  red  cap,  touched  el- 
bows with  the  strongly  marked  Hebrew ; 
the  money-seller,  with  his  long  string  of 
cash,  weighed  cautiously  the  coins  brought 
him  to  change ;  the  barber  deftly  shaved 
the  head  of  his  customer  who  was  perched 
on  a  three-legged  stool,  in  constant  danger 
of  being  jostled  by  a  hurried  pedestrian  ; 
the  cook  took  the  long  pole  from  his 
shoulders,  and  unloading  the  utensils 
from  his  movable  kitchen,  prepared  food 
to  tempt  the  lookers-on  ;  the  cobbler 
squatted  by  the  wayside  mending  shoes  ; 


178        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

fortune-tellers  waited  for  the  curious  ; 
the  dentist,  with  his  necklace  of  shining 
teeth  as  proof  of  skill  and  customers,  Im- 
portuned the  sufferers  ;  the  travelling 
blacksmith,  with  his  Implements  beside 
him,  solicited  trade ;  jugglers  performed 
various  feats  In  return  for  the  coins 
thrown  them  and  delighted  an  ever-chang- 
ing audience ;  and  book-sellers,  tinkers, 
druggists,  musicians,  razor-grinders,  and 
pedlers  of  every  description,  cried  out 
their  wares  as  they  went  on  their  end- 
less peregrinations.  Wheel-barrows  filled 
with  vegetables  and  dromedaries  bearing 
coal  from  Tartary  were  followed  by  a 
funeral  procession,  the  mourners,  arrayed 
in  pure  white,  walking  behind  the  gayly 
painted  casket  ;  and  so  the  great  popula- 
tion, shouting,  laughing,  gesticulating, 
surged  and  swelled,  and  the  round  of  life 
was  ever  the  same. 

Tuen  was  very  glad  when  she  had  made 
her  way  through  all  this  din  and  tumult 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         1 79 

and  come  to  the  second  wall,  the  wall  of 
the  imperial  city,  where  the  yellow-tiled 
roofs  shone  like  gold  in  the  sunshine.    In 
the  distance  could   be  seen  King  Shan, 
the   Artificial  Mountain,   its  five  summits 
topped   with  beautiful  pavilions.     Trees 
of  every  kind  clustered  at  its  base,  while 
through  the  foliage,  now  rich  in  autumn 
colors,  glistened  the  water  of  a   silvery 
lake,  and  the  gleaming  roof  of  the  Temple 
of   Great   Happiness.     Tuen   had  only  a 
confused  idea  of  this  beautiful  panorama, 
for  now  they  had  reached  the  third  wall 
which  encircles  the  Prohibited  City— the 
home  of  the  Son  of  Heaven.     She  had 
often  heard  how  all  within   this  closely 
guarded  enclosure  was  gold  and  silver, 
so  brilliant  and  so  gorgeous  that  it  dazzled 
the  beholder,  and  her  little  bias  eyes  were 
open  very  wide  behind  the  curtains  of  her 
sedan  as  she  peeped  cautiously  out.     The 
guards  in  the  tower  above  the  Meridian 
Gate  hastened  to  open  it  on  her  approach, 


i8o        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

for  her  sedan  was  hung  with  yellow,  the 
imperial  color.  She  was  borne  over 
pleasant  streams,  spanned  with  bridges  of 
sculptured  marble,  through  courts  where 
fountains  played  and  flowers  bloomed, 
and  through  splendid  gilded  corridors. 
Gate  after  gate  of  elaborately  carved  mar- 
ble opened  as  if  by  magic  at  her  approach 
and  then  quickly  closed  again,  for  she 
who  enters  here  goes  out  no  more.  The 
magnificent  Gate  of  Extensive  Peace  shut 
with  a  loud  clang  behind  her,  but  she 
heard  it  not,  for  now  she  was  being  car- 
ried through  beautiful  walks  with  stately 
bronze  figures  on  either  side,  past  temples 
and  pavilions  and  palaces,  even  past  that 
most  sacred  and  superb  of  all  the  buildings, 
the  Tranquil  Palace,  with  its  tower  of 
burnished  copper  adorned  with  images 
that  seemed  made  of  gold.  Tuen  had 
never  pictured  anything  so  lovely,  so  en- 
chanting. The  Viceroy's  yamen  dwindled 
into  insignificance  before  all  this  grandeur, 


Tiien,  Slave  and  Empress.         i8i 

and  she  felt  like  a  veritable  beggar  maid 
brought  to  a  king.  And  just  as  she  was 
beginning  to  think  that  It  must  all  be  some 
enchanted  dream  from  which  she  would 
soon  awake,  the  chair-bearers  stopped  in 
front  of  the  Palace  of  Earth's  Repose, 
which  Is  the  royal  harem,  and  the  last 
gate  closed  between  her  and  all  the  world. 
News  travels  very  slowly  through  all 
the  many  gates  that  guard  the  Emperor 
from  his  subjects,  and  what  goes  on  In 
the  Forbidden  City  is  a  secret  to  the  rest 
of  the  Empire.  But  sometimes,  even  from 
that  jealously  watched  home  of  royalty, 
rumors  creep  abroad,  and  are  whispered 
from  mouth  to  mouth,  for  gossip  will  not 
be  quiet,  even  though  you  cut  out  its 
tongue.  Someway  it  became  noised 
abroad  after  a  while  that  Tuen,  the  maiden 
from  Lu  Chang,  was  the  favorite  wife  of 
the  Emperor,  and  second  only  to  the 
Empress  herself.  Then  nothing  more 
w^as  known  until   it  was  announced  that 


1 82         Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

the  Empress  was  dead,  and  after  a  while 
through  the  many  gates  crept  the  news 
that  Tuen  had  become  the  royal  consort. 
Again  there  was  silence,  then  at  last 
the  Emperor  was  gathered  to  his  fathers, 
and  Tuen,  the  little  slave  girl,  during  the 
infancy  of  her  son,  became  Empress  of 
all  China,  and  ruler  over  one  third  of  the 
population  of  the  world.  Thus  does  Fate 
shift  the  figures  in  the  game  of  life. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

IT  was  a  crisp,   chill    November   after- 
noon, with  just  a  hint  of  frost  in  the 
air  that  made  it  bracing.      Milky  clouds 
dimmed  the  intense  blue  of  the  heavens, 
an  occasional  gust  of  wind  tore  off  bright- 
hued  leaves  from  the   trees   and   tossed 
them  gayly  about,  and  already  the  grass 
was  turning  brown.     But  in  the  imperial 
Flower  Garden  there  was  as  yet  no  sign 
of  fading  flowers  or  winter  bareness,  and 
as  the  Empress  Tuen  came  out  into  it, 
attended  by  richly  apparelled  ladies  of  the 
court,  and  followed  by  slaves  and  eunuchs, 
she  saw  only  a  scene  of  beauty.     She  too 
was  in  the  autumn  of  life  now.     Her  eyes 
no  longer  sparkled  with  the  fire  of  youth, 
her  cheeks,  once  pink  as  a  lotus  bloom, 
183 


184        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

were  now  marked  by  the  cruel  furrows  of 
time,  and  her  figure  had  lost  its  girlish 
grace  many  a  year  ago,  for  to-day  was 
her  sixtieth  birthday.  The  day  was  to 
have  been  celebrated  throughout  the 
Empire  with  a  lavish  magnificence  that 
would  render  it  the  greatest  event  in 
Chinese  history  for  many  centuries,  for 
her  loyal  subjects  had  planned  to  render 
fitting  honor  to  this  remarkable  woman. 
The  streets  for  ten  miles  were  to  have  been 
covered  with  rich  carpets  and  decorated 
with  lamps  and  pictures,  and  the  rarest 
wares  —  porcelains,  bronzes,  jade,  and 
silver — were  to  have  been  arranged  along 
this  gorgeous  avenue.  But  the  inglori- 
ous war  with  Japan  had  so  heavily  taxed 
the  people  that,  at  the  request  of  the 
Empress,  these  elaborate  preparations  had 
been  abandoned,  though  many  costly 
presents  had  been  sent  her  from  every 
province.  Now,  weary  of  gifts  and  adu- 
lation, she  wished  to  be  alone,  to  rest  for 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         185 

a  time  from  the  affairs  of  state.     With  a 
gesture  all  the  attendants  were  dismissed, 
and  she  sat  down  in  the  massive   stone 
chair  on  the  bank  of  the  placid  Lake  of* 
Dreams.     There  w^as  no   more  beautiful 
spot  to  be  found  in  all  the  land  than  this 
Flower  Garden  where  the  Empress,  when 
she  tired  of  her  gilded  prison,  came  for  a 
breath  of  outer  air.     It  was  adorned  with 
graceful    pavilions,   temples,    groves,  and 
lakes,  and  many  Emperors  had  exhausted 
the  skill  and  ingenuity  of  the  landscape 
gardeners  of  the  realm  in    an    endeavor 
to  make  this  little  park  enchanting  enough 
to  beguile  away  the  tedium  of  the  days 
of  "  Heaven's  Consort,"  as  the  Empress 
was  styled.    Flowers  of  every  hue  bloomed 
here  ;  sparkling  streams  dashed  down  the 
sides  of    artificial   mountains  and  wound 
like  a  silver  ribbon    among   the  flowers, 
their    waters    spanned    here    and    there 
by  quaintly  carved  marble  bridges  ;    the 
musical  splashing  of  the  fountains  could 


1 86         Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

be  heard  through  the  stillness  ;  half  hid 
away    under    moss-covered    rocks    were 
dark,  quiet  pools  where  the  lilies  loved  to 
bloom  ;  stone  grottoes  nestled  among  the 
trees  and  overhanging  vines,  and  shrubs 
cut  into  likenesses  of  lions,  tigers,  giraffes, 
elephants,  and    horses,  grew   beside   the 
walks.     In  the  distance  the   gilded  roof 
of  the  Hall  of   Perfect  Peace  shone  like 
a  beacon,  and  the  sun  touched  the  bur- 
nished tower  before  the  Tranquil  Palace 
and  transformed  it  into  a  pillar  of   fire, 
and  then  fell  upon  the  top  of  the  marble 
Gate   of    Extensive    Peace,    and    lo,    it 
seemed  made  of   pearl    and    ivory.     But 
to-day  the  Empress  paid  but  slight  atten- 
tion to  these  glories  of  the   capital,    for 
her  mind  was  filled  with  painful  thoughts. 
Day  by  day  dire  reports  came  from  the 
scene  of  war  of  the  havoc  wrought  among 
her  soldiers,  and  disgraceful  accounts  of 
defeat  that  made    her   blood   boil.     She 
had  prayed  unto    the   gods   and   offered 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.        187 

sacrifices  unto  them,  and  for  many  days 
she  had  burned  incense  on  the  altar  of 
the  God  of  War,  but  alas  !  the  gods  were 
deaf,  and  ruin  threatened  her  kingdom. 
Her  son,  the  Emperor,  was  weak  and 
characterless,  and  for  a  long  time  she 
had  been  the  true  head  of  the  vast  Empire. 
In  executive  ability  and  knowledge  of  state- 
craft foreigners  had  compared  her  to  Cath- 
erine the  Great  of  Russia,  for  her  wisdom 
and  keen  insight  into  governmental  affairs 
had  been  talked  of  in  every  court  in  Europe. 
Greater  than  Emperor  and  cabinet  offi- 
cers, shrewder  than  even  Li  Hung  Chang, 
was  this  old  Empress,  who  had  placed 
crowns  on  several  brows,  and  who  was 
the  creator  of  viceroys  and  state  policy. 
Neither  had  she  forgotten  from  whence 
she  came,  or  neglected  to  reward  any 
who  had  served  her  well.  In  the  first 
hour  of  her  independence  and  power  she 
caused  search  to  be  made  for  her  father 
and  mother,  only  to  learn  that  they  had 


1 88        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

been  long  dead,  but  upon  her  brother 
she  had  heaped  the  most  distinguished 
honors.  Nor  had  she  failed  to  compen- 
sate the  Viceroy  of  Lu  Chang  for  all  his 
kindness  to  her,  and  all  over  the  land  the 
story-tellers  loved  to  relate  the  wonderful 
history  of  Tuen,  the  little  slave  girl,  who 
was  now  their  beloved  Empress. 

But  now  as  she  sat  alone  in  the  garden 
she  was  very  sorrowful.  She  had  hoped 
that  Li  Hung  Chang  would  be  able  to 
stir  up  the  patriotism  of  her  subjects  and 
inflame  them  with  martial  ardor,  but  he 
had  been  powerless  to  avert  the  shame  of 
defeat — defeat  at  the  hands  of  a  little 
patriotic,  plucky  nation  that  she  could 
have  put  in  one  of  her  provinces — a 
defeat  that  was  the  saddest  blot  on  the 
annals  of  her  people.  Oh,  it  was  infa- 
mous !  She  clenched  her  hands  until  her 
many  rings  cut  into  the  tender  flesh,  as 
she  inwardly  chafed  and  raged  at  her  own 
helplessness.      Her   meditations   were  at 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.         189 

last  interrupted  by  the  approach  of  a 
eunuch,  and  she  threw  back  her  head  and 
regarded  him  angrily,  impatient  that  he 
should  have  dared  to  intrude  on  her 
solitude.  Three  times  did  he  humbly 
bow,  then,  kneeling  before  her,  knock  his 
head  nine  times  upon  the  ground  before 

he  spoke. 

-  A  gift  has  arrived  for  the  Empress 
and  awaits  her  acceptance." 

She  motioned  him  haughtily  away,  but 
his  curiosity  was  so  much  excited  that 
he  still  further  dared  the  royal  dis- 
pleasure. 

"It  is  a  very  strange  thing,"  he  ven- 
tured. "  Nothing  like  it  has  ever  been 
sent  before,  for  it  is  said  to  come  from 
the  barbarians  here  who  teach  the  'Jesus 

doctrine.'  " 

''  Let  it  be  brought  to  me  here,"  she 
said  listlessly,  although  she  arched  her 
brows  in  amazement. 

Quickly  he  went  away,  and  in  his  stead 


I  go        Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress. 

came  the  ladles  of  the  court,  bearing  a 
teak-wood  box.  At  a  sign  from  the 
Empress  it  was  opened  and  disclosed  a 
beautifully  wrought  silver  casket.  With 
her  own  hand  she  raised  the  lid  of  this 
casket,  wondering  what  jewel  or  article 
of  priceless  value  these  strangers  had  sent 
her,  while  the  ladies  of  the  court  peeped 
eagerly  over  her  shoulders.  But  what 
she  saw  when  the  lid  fell  back  was  a 
book,  whose  covers  w^ere  of  solid  silver 
embossed  in  bamboo  designs,  while  in 
one  corner  in  shining  letters  of  gold  were 
the  strange  words  :  *'  Complete  New 
Testament,"  and  in  the  centre  of  this 
remarkable  book  was  a  plate  of  gold  upon 
which  was  engraved  :  "  Scriptures  for  the 
Salvation  of  the  World." 

Then  she  looked  again  at  the  casket, 
and  on  the  lid  she  read  that  this  book 
was  a  present  from  the  Christian  women 
of  China,  and  she  marvelled  greatly,  but 
she  said  nothing. 


Tuen,  Slave  and  Empress.        191 

Thus  was  the  Holy  Bible  placed  even 
on  the  Dragon's  Throne,  and  then  once 
again  the  gates  of  the  Forbidden  City 
closed,  and  all  was  silence. 


END. 


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